The Scaly Raptor
by Harry Leferts
Summary: Owen had learned a lot about animals and training them from his grandfather, but had always thought his grandfather a bit crazy due to his stories that the amulet he owned was magical and let him understand animals. Now that he's dead, the amulet has been passed to Owen who is about to learn the truth behind his grandfather's stories...
1. Chapter 1

_Disclaimer:_ _Jurassic World is owned by Universal Pictures_

" _Hello?_ " -Phone or radio.

"{ _Alpha!_ }" -Dinosaur language.

* * *

As she worked on the raptors on the slab-like tables, checking the unconscious dinosaurs' health, the vet glanced toward Owen who had something between his fingers, twirling it back and forth. "So, what's the story about that fancy necklace?"

Slightly surprised at having his inner thoughts interrupted, Owen shook it off. "Hmm? Oh, this? It's something that belonged to my grandfather, he died about a week ago and... Well, he had this sent to me."

Not many people knew about Owen's family which caused the vet to continue to dig as she wrote something onto the clipboard. "Huh, so what's the story behind it?"

Owen chuckled a bit as he continued to turn it in his fingers. "Grandpa was a bit of an oddball. Came back from the African campaigns in World War II claiming that a shaman had given it to him. Said that placing the blood of an animal into it would give you special abilities and able to understand that animal's speech. He was an animal trainer though, had this big grizzly that he called Steve who listened to him all the time. They used to go out into the woods for days at a time, just him and Steve. No one would hear a thing until the two would stumble out with grins."

With a laugh, the vet looked over her shoulder as she finished up. "Sounds a lot like you and these beautiful girls if some of the stories the other handlers tell are true." She then looked over at him with a smile. "Well, if you want I can take some blood from your girls and give it to you."

Of course, Owen laughed a bit before he shrugged. "Why not? What's the worst that could happen?"

* * *

Getting out of bed after yet another bad night of dreams, Owen cracked his jaws and started for the bathroom. 'At least it wasn't more nightmares of what happened... Just dreams of running through the jungle with the girls as a raptor.' He stopped near his door and smiled as he heard his girls downstairs. After what happened with the Indominus, all four had become docile and subservient hence why he trusted them enough to keep in his house. 'Though I am thankful that they're all alright... I wonder why Charlie listened to me when to stop and not to listen to the Indominus...' It was then that Owen stopped as he entered the bathroom and saw a raptor in the mirror. "Girls, which ever one of you..."

Trailing off as he noticed that the raptor's mouth moved with his voice, he blinked. 'No way... There is no way...' Now wide awake, he brought up one hand and waved it, with the raptor in the mirror doing the same thing. Then he took a glance toward his arm to find that it was not a human arm, but a raptor's.

The scream woke the four recovering raptors downstairs, though only Blue could move as the other three were too injured to do so and laid in their "nests", frightened for their Alpha. Nonetheless, the raptor beta rushed up the stairs until she reached the room claimed by her Alpha and looked in to see a large, male raptor staring at something. Growling, Blue strode in as she guessed what had happened. "{ _Get away from Alpha, now..._ }"

Much to her surprise, the raptor turned and stared at her before it spoke in Owen's voice. "B-Blue? Did you just talk?"

Confused, Blue walked more into the room and tilted her head. "{ _Why do you sound like Alpha and make not-prey sounds?_ }"

The raptor then tapped himself on the chest. "Blue, it's me! I... I have no idea what happened, but I got turned into a raptor..."

For several moments Blue did not move until she walked in and began to move around him, sniffing. 'Hmm... Sounds like Alpha and smells like Alpha... Is Alpha? Not another Not-Alpha?' Her eyes then lit up as she realized what this meant and began to nuzzle him as a purring sound escaped her. "{ _Alpha!_ }"

All Owen did was groan. Suddenly, he realized something and blinked. "How... am I going to explain this to Claire?" Having felt Blue continue to nuzzle him, Owen reached over and shoved the affectionate raptor away some. "Blue, I need to think..."

Curious, Blue just watched as Owen paced around the room some. "{ _Why does Alpha worry? Just tell mate that Alpha is now what he should be!_ }"

Just under a minute passed before Owen sighed and shook his head. "Right... just tell her..." As he walked over to the phone, Blue following, Owen decided to ask a question. "By the way, I've noticed that you and your sisters are much... calmer, you listen more. Mind telling me why?"

The sound of claws scraping against wood caused him to turn and blink as Blue scrapped one foot against the floor. "{ _We... pack made mistake in following False-Alpha. Should have followed you, Alpha. You proved you cared for Pack while False-Alpha didn't. Never did you hurt pack, while False-Alpha did. We listen to you now, Alpha. You proved that you should be Alpha. And now that you wear True-Skin, you're even more worthy to be Alpha._ }"

Owen blinked at that for a moment as he sorted it through his head and widened his eyes. "And what about Claire? And Barry?"

A moment later, Owen could have sworn that Blue was giving him the "What are you, an idiot?" look. Something which was proven as she blinked. "{ _Alpha sometimes stupid Alpha. Mate is Alpha's mate and thus part of pack. Barry is nice, while not pack would not mind him becoming pack. Pack will not hurt them.}_ "

With a blink, Owen turned toward the phone. "Okay... this is a really strange day... And she's my girlfriend, not mate."

Reaching up with one of her claws, Blue scratched at an itchy spot. "{ _Alpha being stupid again, mate is mate. Blue and others can smell Alpha on her and can smell her on Alpha._ }"

That bit of information caused Owen to pause as he attempted to use his claws to dial the phone. "... " After some thought, he shook his head and ignored it as his claws continued to press buttons. Finally, the transformed human brought the phone up to his head. "Hey, Claire, how are things going?"

On the other end of the line, he could practically feel her eyebrow raise. " _The same as usual. The workers are still performing their duties to make sure that the park reopens on schedule... Why?_ "

While he shoved Blue away again, Owen cleared his throat a bit as his tail nearly knocked some stuff down. "Well... you wouldn't happen to have some free time today, would you?"

Now suspicious, Claire narrowed her eyes at the tone. " _I can get off at around... late afternoon for the day. Did something happen?_ " At Owen's denials, she frowned even more. " _Mr. Grady..._ "

As he winced, Owen just coughed a bit. "Well, it's nothing bad, just... weird. Anyways, if you could drop by later, that would be great, thanks!" He then hung up and groaned as he rubbed his head. "This is going to be a fun day..." Owen then looked toward Blue. "Anyways... I got to get some food for your sisters, would you mind sharing it with them?"

Blue just gave him an innocent look before she walked out. "{ _Alpha now being even more stupid. For that, I expect some Oreos._ }"

It took Owen a moment before he stalked out after her. "Hey, wait a moment..."

Meanwhile, on the other side of the island, Claire gave the phone a narrowed gaze. 'What is he hiding...'

* * *

Walking into Owen's bungalow, Claire looked around with a frown. "Owen? I got your call that you needed some help? Where are you?" She heard talons on the stairs and turned in time to see a large raptor walk down them. A moment later, Claire froze in place as she recognized it as being a _male_ raptor. The fact that Blue followed it caused her to gulp. "Owen! We got a problem!"

Upon reaching the bottom of the stairs, the raptor sighed and then actually _spoke_ in Owen's voice. "Trust me, I know that we have a problem."

Silence descended for several moments as Claire stared at him before she looked around. "I swear, Owen, if this is your idea of some sort of sick joke.."

The raptor then facepalmed. "Claire... this is no joke, trust me on that."

Seeing that she was still looking around for a camera, Owen rolled his eyes and walked over to a notepad and tore off a sheet of paper and then wrote on it to the amazed eyes of Claire. After that, he held it out to her and she read it aloud. "Dear Claire, yes, it's me. I have turned into a talking raptor..." Her eyes slowly rose from the paper and she stared. "Owen?"

Once more, Owen rolled his eyes. "Yes, it's me, and, yes, I am a talking raptor..."

Clare just kept staring at him before she frowned and slowly backed out to the door before she then looked outside. "... It's not even evening yet and the moon hasn't risen..."

It only took Owen a moment to connect the dots and he gave her the best deadpan expression as behind him, Blue did that odd laugh of hers. "I'm not some sort of... _wereraptor_ , Claire..

She just shook her head. "Right... I'm just going to have your alcohol because I am entirely too sober for this conversation right now..."

After she walked passed him, Owen heard Blue huffing and turned toward her. "{ _Your mate is funny, Alpha_.}"

In reply, Owen only closed his eyes as he tried to fight off his incoming headache. "Claire, I thought that you couldn't drink alcohol due to being on a diet..."

Her voice drifted out of the kitchen. "In this case, I think that I can make an exception..."

* * *

With a sigh, Owen used his claws to gently pull the blanket up over Claire who had fallen asleep after Owen had explained and re-explained all he knew before he winkled his now sensitive nose at the scent of the alcohol she had consumed. Shaking his head, he walked out of the room and nearly into Blue who was watching with interest. "What?"

Tilting her head to the other side, Blue chirped at him. "{ _Why did Alpha's mate drink funny smelling and tasting water?_ }"

Once more sighing, and noting that he had been doing a lot of it, Owen shook his head. "One, Claire is not my mate. And two... It's not funny smelling and tasting water, Blue. It's alcohol and she drank a lot because she was shocked..." It was then that he realized what she had said and glared at her. "And how do you know how it tastes?"

If a raptor could attempt to look innocent, Blue certainly gave it her best shot as she looked away and over her shoulder as she bent her neck back with wide eyes. "{ _What is Alpha talking about? I don't know how it tastes..._ }" She then twisted around and sped toward the stairs before she laid on her belly and slid on it down the stairs. "} _Come on, Alpha, sisters want to see you now that you have true-skin!_ }"

As he closed his eyes, Owen counted to ten as he growled softly. "I swear... worse then kids sometimes..." Then he thought about it for a moment. "... Actually, kids will bite you and scratch too... so not that much different."

When he reached the bottom of the stairs, not having gone down the way that Blue always did and had since she had lived in the house after hatching, Owen paused outside what had been his living room. Inside he could hear Charlie hiss at Blue. " _{You lie! Alpha one of Not-Prey, not like us though he be Alpha._ }"

In reply, Blue hissed back. "{ _I see it for myself! Alpha like us in True-Skin! Look much better then being just Not-Prey, though his mate acted weird and drank the funny water! It was funny!_ }"

Echo's voice then spoke up. "{ _She act like you when you drank funny water that Alpha left out in closed metal bucket when we were hatchlings? Alpha was so confused why you acted funny._ }"

For a moment, Owen thought back and he remembered a time back when the pack were hatchlings. In order to bond better with them, he had brought them into his home and taken care of them. Everyone, of course had thought him nuts and Barry kept visiting him. One time, he had been eating his dinner with a beer and had set it down on the counter top. When he returned, his beer was spilled out onto the counter while the raptors had played in a corner. A few hours later, Blue had acted extremely oddly but did get better. Owen had put it out of his mind, but now realized what had happened and stalked around the corner with a growl. "So... you don't know how it tastes, huh?"

Stiff for a moment, Blue gave him the best version of a sheepish look that a raptor could before she chirped. "{ _Sister does not know what she is talking about, Alpha!_ }"

That, of course, brought his attention to the others and he had to hold back a wince. In any other situation or place he would have laughed at the sheer shocked looks he was given by his pack. But, as usual, all that he felt was some guilt at the injured members. Out of all of the three, Delta had the least injuries, just a number of broken bones such as her ribs. Her torso and leg were wrapped in thick bandages to help her as she healed. Echo though had far more bandages on her to where they covered most of her body, concealing the horrible burns she had suffered from view.

And then, there was Charlie.

She had survived a near miss with a missile launcher used against her by InGen's soldiers. However, she was far from unscathed and nearly had not pulled through when they had found her the next day and brought her in to save her life. It was not just the broken bones or the slight burns she had suffered that were the problem. A glance showed Owen that, as has been the case since that day, her right leg ended at her "Knee" with only a wad of bandages with some of her tail also missing. It always caused his heart to feel like something was squeezing it. And though it had been an argument with the vets, they did save her and the last he had heard, they were creating a prosthetic for her. "Hey girls..."

Owen walked up close to the three healing raptors and let them take in his scent and the sound of his voice before Charlie cocked her head to the side in confusion. " _{How is Alpha now hunter like us? Not not-prey anymore?_ }"

To Owen's surprise, Blue snapped at Charlie. " _{Alpha may look different, but Alpha is True-Alpha, not False-Alpha like Fake-One._ }"

All Owen could do was smile as he watched on as they conversed with each other about how strange it all was. Of course, then Charlie asked for him to stay and he sat down like he had seen them do before, much to the approval of the pack and started to talk...

* * *

After having talked with the pack for hours, Owen had fallen asleep in the room with the rest of the pack there also asleep. It was already dark out when footsteps entered the room and a slightly hungover Claire shook her head as she looked down at the large raptor. "What am I going to do with you..." Kneeling next to him with blankets and a pillow under her arm, she paused for a moment before she reached out and touched his skin. 'Amazing...' Then Claire paused and got back up as she laid blankets over the raptors and turned back to Owen. Just as she had placed a blanket over him, she heard a huff and turned slowly to see Blue watching her. "Um... hello, Blue..."

With a glance, she realized that the other raptors were all watching her as she tended to Owen. Quickly, she remembered some of what Owen told her and licked her dry lips as she spoke softly and quietly. "Don't worry... I'm just making Owen comfortable... that's all..." They continued to watch her as she placed the pillow under Owen's raptor head and then adjusted the blanket. Having done that, she got up slowly and backed out of the room with both hands in the air. "There we go... there we go girls... I'm not a threat..."

Once she was out the door, she gently closed it with a click. A few minutes went by before Charlie turned toward Blue with puzzlement on her face. "{ _Why did Alpha's mate act like that? I smelt fear..._ }'

Blue frowned as only a raptor could before she shook her head like she had learned from watching Owen for so many years. "{ _Alpha's mate worried that pack might hurt her, that we might attack._ }"

Soft hisses and growls filled the room from the other raptors before Echo stared at Blue. "{ _We would never hurt Alpha's mate! She is part of pack and pack does not attack pack!_ }"

While she did not understand all the human sounds, Blue understood enough which caused her head to lower until it laid against the floor. "{ _Alpha's mate worried because when we met False-Alpha, we followed False-Alpha and betrayed Alpha and followed False-Alpha. Nearly killed hatchlings that smelt like Alpha's mate. Not her hatchlings, but from sister maybe. So Alpha's mate not trust us fully despite being pack. Alpha's mate is afraid of us betraying Alpha again._ }"

The reminder was enough to dampen the mood of all of them before Delta slowly spoke from where she was laying down. "{ _We made a mistake... False-Alpha was not a true alpha. Cared nothing for pack like Alpha did._ }" A soft hiss escaped from her mouth as she eyelids dropped a bit. "{ _How will we make Alpha's mate understand that she is not in danger from pack? That she is part of pack?_ }"

It was Charlie who lit up a bit. "{ _I know! Blue can bring Alpha's mate dead prey as gift! Will help her understand that she now pack!_ }"

For several moments, they all thought it over before they agreed and then slowly laid down to go back to sleep...

* * *

Having smelt cooking meat, Blue walked into the kitchen to find Owen at the stove as he danced and sang along to a song on the radio.

"I can't stop this feeling  
Deep inside of me  
Girl, you just don't realize  
What you do to me!

When you hold me  
In your arms so tight  
You let me know  
Everything's all right!"

Walking behind Blue, Claire just blinked at the sight of the raptor dancing and singing as it cooked breakfast. Slowly, she turned down to her mug of coffee and then looked at the fridge. '... If he did not put something in this coffee... then I wonder if it's too early...'

Meanwhile, Owen continued to belt out the lyrics.

"I'm hooked on a feeling  
I'm high on believing  
That you're in love with me!"

Confused as per usual with what her Alpha was doing, Blue blinked and then scratched her neck with one claw. Then, much to Claire's partial amusement partial confusion, Blue started to bob her head in time as the song continued. 'He's... got Blue dancing...' A quick look confirmed that, indeed, Blue was bouncing a bit from one foot to the other. Slightly bemused, Claire backed up and looked into the sitting room to find that all the raptors were bobbing their heads to the song. 'He's... got all of them dancing... I'm not even going to ask...' Claire made it back into the kitchen in time to see the most hilarious sight that she had seen yet...

Blue being behind Owen, copying his movements to the best of her ability, seeming to be having fun doing so. Her laugh as the song finished caused Owen to turn and blink at her, before he noticed where she was looking to see Blue finish dancing to the last few beats of the song. "Um... they kind of do that at times..."

With a blank look, Claire turned to look at Blue as the raptor changed her dancing as "I want you back" by The Jackson 5 began to play. Slowly, part of Claire could not help but wonder what kind of positive press it could make for the park if someone uploaded video of this while the corners of her lips turned upward. "Really..."

After having placed the pan of bacon on a turned off burner, Owen shrugged best. "Yeah... it just kind of happened one day... They're pretty good." He then began dancing next to Blue as Claire only shook her head in bemusement at their antics...

Not even a few minutes later, Owen had just sat down with his breakfast as he heard a growl and turned to see Blue giving him a look which caused him to blink at her. "What?"

Looking from his food to him a few times, Blue hissed at him. "{ _Why does Alpha keep ruining food but putting it over hot not-fire?_ }" She winkled her nose as Owen choked a bit on his bite. "{ _And how can Alpha eat ruined food?_ }"

With an annoyed look on his face, Owen pointed his fork toward her as Claire looked back between the two of them. "Now don't you start! I am not ruining my food by cooking it! It makes it taste better and is better for you." Having noticed that Claire was watching them with a raised eyebrow, he frowned a bit. "What?"

For a moment, Claire ate some of the yoghurt parfait she was having for breakfast and then sipped her coffee. "Just... wondering what Blue said since I can only hear one side of the conversation..."

As he blinked, the former human realized what it might have looked like and chomped down on a piece of bacon as he ignored his girlfriend's grimace. "Blue was complaining that I was ruining meat by cooking..." Said raptor growled again and caused Owen to shoot her a look. "Also, she has an issue with me eating eggs as well and... HEY! NOW THAT WAS UNCALLED FOR!"

Once more giving Owen a look, Clare frowned. "Personally, after you laughed at me this morning when Blue dropped that dead campy in front of me and I screamed, I don't think that there's much not called for."

Chewing a piece of bacon as he pushed away Blue with his "Hand" when she got too close to his food, Owen grumbled. "I thought that you screaming was hilarious... besides, like I told you, Blue was trying to tell you that as far as she and the others are concerned, you don't have anything to worry about from them. To them, you're pack and that means that they won't attack you unless they have a really good reason for it." Slowly, a grin crossed his face. "Besides... Blue liked the fact that you gave it back to her."

Blue stopped nibbling her side at an itchy spot as Claire reached over and used her nails on it which caused the raptor to rumble in pleasure. "{ _Still do not understand why Alpha's mate did not want kill to eat, but happy that Alpha's mate gave it rather then waste it by throwing it into metal box._ }"

Not understanding what she said, Claire frowned for a moment. "You're sure that she won't hurt me? Or the others?"

Shaking his head, Owen began to finish up his breakfast. "According to her, they won't. And I trust them and trust is a big thing in a pack, right next to respect."

For several moments, Claire stared Blue in the face before the human got up and walked over to the counter. Curious as to what his girlfriend was doing, Owen watched as she grabbed some of the leftover uncooked bacon and brought it over to Blue and held a strip out in front of her. It took Blue a few seconds to realize what she was doing, but both Owen and Claire could swear that the raptor's eyes lit up before she gently took the strip from Claire's fingers and then gobbled it down. "{ _Alpha's mate gives good meat... and not ruined by Alpha..._ }"

With a frown on his face, Owen watched as Claire took a deep breath. "You okay?"

However, she just nodded as she placed his plate on the counter as his claws were not the best at carrying things. "Yeah... still a bit nervous but..." Claire glanced down the hall and began to walk. "I think that I can do this though..."

There was a smile on Owen's face as he followed Blue to watch as Claire gave the others a piece offering of sorts by feeding them each a strip of bacon...


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: Jurassic World is owned by Universal Pictures

" _Hello?_ " -Phone or radio.

"{ _Alpha!_ }" -Dinosaur language.

* * *

Pulling up, Barry got out of jeep and grabbed the bags which contained various hunks of meat. As he walked up to the bungalow, he noticed that the hammock just outside under two trees swayed in a manner he knew was not due to the wind. "Now then, who is in there, hmm?" Blue's head popped out and gave a chirp at seeing him. "And it's my lovely Blueberry! Got something for you."

Her eyes on him, Blue gave another chirp as he pulled out a blue wrapped object. "{ _Oreo_!}"

With a smile, Barry began to open it. "You know what this is, don't you my lovely Blueberry?" Another chirp caused him to laugh as Blue seemed to give him a cute look. "Just one moment, Blue." Holding up the large, double stuffed Oreo, Barry had to bite back another laugh as Blue focused on it with wide eyes. After giving him a glance, she got down and rolled onto her back as she folded her legs and arms in close before she gave him another chirp. "Okay, Blue, here you go then."

No matter how many times he had seen it, Barry still had to shake his head at the raptor's little "Ritual" when eating an Oreo. First, she would gently grab it and then bring it to her mouth. After which, she would lick around the sides of the cookie to get some of the cream. Then Blue would nibble bits and pieces of it. Finally, the raptor would slip it into her mouth and slowly mush it against the roof of her mouth, making a sound not unlike a purr. 'So good...'

His grin now large as he watched Blue enjoy her treat, Barry rubbed her head. Suddenly, Owen's voice drifted out from inside the building. "You better not be giving Blue an Oreo, Barry! She's had more then enough for the day!"

Both Blue and Barry shared a look before the human cleared his throat and shouted out. "Of course not, Owen!"

Meanwhile, Blue sunk out of sight into the hammock as she enjoyed her Oreo. 'Alpha will not get my delicious Oreo...'

That sight brought a smile to Barry's face before he walked into the bungalow with the bag full of meat. He glanced into the room with the recovering raptors and smiled at their chirps. "Hello there, my lovelies. Just bringing some food for you." Barry was met by chirps from each of them before he looked around and then tossed in some chunks of meat close enough for them to gobble up. Bringing his finger to his lips, he grinned as he watched them. "Shhh."

Owen's voice then drifted into the hallway. "Barry... tell me that you did not give them some more meat. It's not their meal time."

A rich chuckle came from the man as he continued to watch. "Of course not, Raptor Mom. Just saying hello to my favorite girls." Turning away, he headed for where he had heard the voice. "So, Claire told me that I'm going to need to take over your duties in the park for the foreseeable future until further notice?" Having walked into the kitchen, Barry stopped at the sight of the raptor at the table with a mug of juice. Recognizing it as a male raptor, Barry glanced around for Owen. "Well now, and who might you be? Owen, if you were thinking of bringing in a new Raptor or had found one, I wish that you would have told me. Especially a male unless you're considering having them breed... though it is a rather impressive specimen."

The raptor blinked slowly with what seemed like a deadpan look before it set down the mug. After a moment, it began to speak in Owen's voice in a dry tone. "Oh, you don't need to worry about that. Firstly, because they're like daughters to me and that is just sick. Two, I'm human even if I don't look like it at the moment. And three, and most important, I don't need Claire to try and kill me."

Several moments passed as Barry stared at the raptor in shock. Finally, he shook it off and blinked. "Owen... is that... you?"

While he sighed, Owen tried to drink some more juice and grimaced at how hard it was. "No, I'm just some other raptor that happens to sound like Owen."

Almost robotically, Barry dropped the meat off into a freezer there before he grabbed a bottle of beer. Then he walked over and sat down across from Owen and popped off the cap and took a swing. Relaxing some, he frowned a bit. "So... how did this happen?"

Groaning, Owen slumped in his seat best he could and laid his head down before placing his clawed hands over his eyes. "No clue... I just woke up like this."

For a moment, Barry sipped at his beer as he continued to think and calm down. "Well... now I can see why Claire wanted me to take over your more public duties..."

The former human just gave him a look before he snarked. "Really now?"

All Barry did was nod as he continued to sip his beer.

* * *

Having started on his second beer about an hour later, Barry raised an eyebrow as Owen finished his story. "So you really have no idea how this happened then, my friend?" At the headshake, Barry frowned for a moment as a thought occurred to him. "How is it that you didn't notice right when you woke up? I would have thought that your clothing no longer fitting would have been a clue."

As he rubbed a clawed hand over his head, Owen shook his head. "I've been really tired lately. Between caring for the girls, helping Claire when needed, and not getting enough sleep due to dreams..." Suddenly, Owen trailed off as he remembered something. "Come to think of it though, there was no clothes and I _know_ that I went to bed with them. They must have disappeared when... this happened."

Slowly, Barry raised an eyebrow before he gestured at something. "Except for that amulet of your grandfather's."

That caught Owen off guard and he pushed his neck as far back as he could and tilted his head to see his collarbone. Sure enough, there was the amulet settled against his chest. "... What the hell? Everything else vanished except for this?" Reaching down, he grasped it and pulled. Only... nothing happened. "The _fuck!?_ "

Now curious, Barry got up and walked around the table to where he could also grab the amulet and the two of them tried to pull it off until Owen started to yelp. "Well... unless someone glued that to you..."

Pupils narrowing into slits, Owen hissed a bit as protofeathers rose on his neck. "You think that this is responsible for me... being like _this?!_ "

All Barry did was shrug as he went and sat back down. "You did say that your grandad said it was magical and helped one to understand animals. Not to mention him going out into the woods..." Taking a sip of his beer, he thought it over. "Didn't you put some blood from the girls inside the amulet, like your grandfather's stories said?"

Slightly freaked out, Owen threw up his hands. "I didn't think that his stories about this was actually true! Hell, magic isn't actually real!"

Barry just snorted and pointed at him in wry amusement. "Neither are talking raptors or people turning into dinosaurs. Besides, magic fits." Becoming thoughtful, Barry rubbed his chin. "You said that your grandfather used to go out into the woods with animals that he was training right? And if the same thing happened to him, it would explain why. So... that means that either there is something that allows for you to switch back, or there's a time limit."

Frowning, Owen got up and began to pace as he racked his brains trying to remember what he could have his grandfather. "He used to go out for at least a week, but never had issues training the same kind of animal again... I wish I had his journals though and notes that came with it."

Now with a frown, Barry leaned forward. "Lost them?"

However, Owen just shook his head. "All of his old journals and stuff is back in the States. I can ask for my mom to send me them, but it'll take a bit more then a week to get here anyways due to customs and just shipping them to the island."

While he leaned back some, Barry smiled as Blue trotted in having sensed Owen's emotional state and nuzzling him. "Well, you know what to do then." At the frown Owen gave him, Barry gave him a gesture with the beer bottle. "Call up your mom and have her send them. Might be worth it to talk with Claire and see what she can do to help speed up the process."

Thinking about it, Owen groaned as he put his head into his hands, careful not to harm himself with his claws. "Great... and she is likely to try and use video conferencing to make sure that I am okay..."

A moment later, he glared at Barry as the man started to laugh...

* * *

Blinking from where he had been typing into a computer he had set up in the raptor's room, Owen looked up at Charlie who watched him. "Hmm? What was that?"

The raptor shifted a bit on the collection of blankets and cushions that made up her "Nest" before she tilted her head to the side. "{ _Was wondering why Alpha's mate was gone so often. She should be with pack._ }"

With a glance, Owen could see that the rest of the pack were wondering the same thing and they all leaned in toward him as he was deep in thought. 'Now how to say this in a way that they might understand...' After a few moments, he nodded. "You know how there are humans on the island who are different from the others right? That they stay here while others arrive on the island and leave later?"

Not quite sure where this was going, Blue nodded with a chirp. "{ _There are many Not-Prey that live on island._ }"

Slowly, Owen nodded as the explanation came together in his head. "Okay, now imagine all those people as being one giant pack, bigger then our pack." All four pairs of eyes widened as they tried to imagine it. "Claire would be the Alpha of all the humans in that pack. She's even an Alpha above me."

Taken aback, Echo looked toward her sisters. "{ _She's Alpha's Alpha as well as being mate? She must be strong then to be Alpha to so many._ }"

Blue gave the others a smug look as she had told her disbelieving sisters about what happened after the Indominus had knocked them out. "{ _See? I told you that Alpha's mate was strong and brave! Even Stern One followed her when she lead it to White One. Stern One said that she was her hatchling from other mother._ }"

Now it was Owen's turn to double take at that. 'Wait, 'Stern One' followed Claire and said she was hers? But the only dinosaur that followed Claire was...' His pupils narrowed some in shock. 'Rexy... Rexy knows Claire and has claimed her as hers?!' However, the transformed human shook off his shock, though Owen resolved to talk with Claire later on. "Well, it's not just strength that means she's, er, Alpha over the humans in the island. But also because she's very smart and clever. But yeah, because she's so high up, she works a lot to keep the human pack running."

Her head bobbing, Echo tilted her muzzle a bit. "{ _Yes, can see why she not always here. Such a large pack means a lot of work coordinating it and must spend time away._ }"

A cough caused them to focus their attention onto Owen. "Right, but the humans on the island are only a... hmm, how to put this..." For several seconds, Owen stared at the ceiling before he nodded. "While they're a pack, they're just a sub-pack of a even larger pack. One which Claire is more of a Beta in with other Betas and Alphas. Right now, some of those are giving her problems-"

Hissing, Blue spread her claws a bit. "{ _Then we support your mate and help her fight these other Alphas and Betas! Show them our strength!_ }"

Owen's eyes widened a bit before he held out his claws. "Whoa, calm down there Blue! That's not how humans operate. Besides, um... one of those issues has to do with how you attacked humans..."

With the closes to a confused expression, Delta turned toward him. "{ _We get her in trouble with Betas and Alphas? Because we attack Not-Prey under orders from Not-Alpha?_ }"

Slowly, Owen slowly nodded. "Yes, some of them thought that you were too dangerous to other humans, but Claire stood up to them. That got her in trouble, but everything is okay now. And that's only one reason."

Her eyes narrowed, Blue tried to puzzle out what she had been told. "{ _So... Mate is Alpha of Not-Prey pack here, but only Beta of larger pack. Because she protect our Pack, she nearly lose being Beta and Alpha? But she still Alpha here?_ }" There was a proud look on Owen's face after which Blue shared a look with her sister. "{ _Then she even better member of Pack then we know! She fight challengers who wish to hurt Pack and win._ }"

If he had lips, Owen would be biting them as to not smile as the other raptors nodded in agreement with Blue. 'Well, at least now Claire won't need to worry much... Especially if I can convince them that if they don't hurt anyone else, it will only help her...'

* * *

As the rain beat against the windows and thunder rolled outside, the three wounded raptors watched the door and listened intently as the bungalow shook in the storm. Nervous, Charlie glanced at Echo. "{ _Do you think that Alpha, his Mate, and Blue are okay?_ }"

Not having heard anything since Claire's scream had woken them, Echo huffed. "{ _They're strong and Alpha would not let anything threaten mate or Blue._ }" There was a slight note of unsureness in Echo's tone. Another bolt of lightning caused Echo to flinch. 'I hate sky booms...' For a moment, her mind drifted back to when she was a hatchling and their Alpha would hold them close during storms. Then yet another flinch crossed her body as she remembered how they had abandoned him when the White One spoke to them. "{ _They're fine..._ }"

A sound attracted their attention and they saw Owen walk in with a shivering Claire clinging to him, Blue on her other side. All three raptors could smell salt water as Claire made strange sounds. "It's okay, Claire. I'm right here for you and that monster is not coming back. Now just lay down next to me... That's it... I'm right here and I'm okay..."

Several minutes passed as the raptors watched before both Owen and Claire fell asleep. Once they were deeply asleep, Delta tilted her head and softly warbled. "{ _Where danger?_ }"

Blue was silent for a few moments as she puzzled out what she had heard best she could. "{ _No danger, Alpha's mate had bad sleep-run. In sleep-run, False-Alpha, the White One, returned and killed Alpha, hatchlings, and then Alpha's mate._ }"

Confused, Charlie looked around. "{ _But what about Pack? Pack would be there and fight for Pack._ }"

While she didn't say nothing, Blue's posture told them what they needed to know before Delta huffed. "{ _Not-Prey like Alpha's Mate have silly stupid sleep runs._ }"

Puzzling over what she had heard, Echo tilted her head and gave a sort hiss. "{ _Still bad sleep-run.._ }" She then perked up a bit. "{ _Wait, pack can guard from bad sleep-runs!_ }"

Thoughtful, Blue considered the problem before she nodded. "{ _You right. Pack can guard Alpha's Mate from silly bad sleep-runs._ }" Much to Blue's surprise, Echo slowly rose from her nest with a wince. "{ _What are you doing?!_ }"

With a hiss of her own, Echo tried to ignore the pain her bandaged burns caused with each movement. "{ _You need help moving others to guard Alpha and Mate. I able to help, so will._ }"

After glaring at her defiant sister, and Echo not backing down, Blue grunted a bit before walking over to Charlie's nest. Echo reached her side and the two dragged it over to where it nearly touched the spot where Owen and Claire fitfully slept, careful not to wake them. They repeated the process with the other nests with Blue nearest to the door as she was not injured. That done, both Blue and Echo laid down in their nests and slowly drifted off to sleep as did Charlie and Delta...

* * *

Claire was awoken from a fitful slumber by a light from a nearby window striking her in the face. Not too longer after her mind realized that instead of the warm human body she had expected, there was scales. Her mind snapped into full wakefulness as her eyes opened to see a raptor beside her. Thankfully, her scream was cut off as she remembered why she was next to a raptor. "It wasn't a dream..."

One of the raptor's eyes opened as he gave her a smile. "Afraid not." He seemed to look at something which then caused Claire to realize there was a hot breath on the back of her neck. "Before you ask, it seems that the others moved last night."

Carefully, Claire turned her head to see Echo nearly pressed up against her as the raptor slept. "How... When...?"

As he frowned in thought, Owen shook his head. "Don't know, they must have done it last night after we fell asleep." Then he let out his breath in a soft hiss. "I would say that Blue moved them, but I can also see that some of the bandages on Echo are out of place, so Echo must have helped her move the nests."

That caused the human woman to blink as it registered. 'Nests?' Slowly, she got up one elbow and looked around. Sure enough, she could see that the raptor pack had positioned themselves as close to her and Owen as possible without touching them. "How?"

All Owen did was shake his head. "No clue, but they're in a protective position." Having spotted the befuddled expression on his girlfriend's face, Owen shook his head some. "It's what me and Barry termed it after having seen it in the pen as well as in video tapes of Sorna. Raptors will take this position to protect a member of their pack when needed."

Still puzzled, Claire just nodded while making a note to read a book on raptor behaviour that Owen had given her written by Dr. Alan Grant. 'Now how am I going to get up and out of here without waking them...'

* * *

Having heard yet another screech and the crash of something hitting the floor, Owen growled as he walked out of the room. "Dammit Blue! Cut that shit out!"

He entered a room to see Blue biting on of his boots before she met his glare with one of her own. "{ _Should be with pack! Why you leave Pack go alone to strange smelling place with only Barry, Alpha!? Pack could get in trouble and Pack injured and can't defend selves!_ }"

Even though he tried, Owen was unable to get a word in edgewise as Blue got up and began to run around, his boot in her mouth as she hissed. Finally he snapped and let out a string of sounds he knew that Blue used when angry at her sisters. In the silence that followed, Owen realized what those sounds meant as he could not understand them and narrowed his gaze at Blue. "... Where did you learn such language, Blue..."

Blue looked around with an innocent look. "{ _I not know what you are talking about, Alpha. Why you speak such foul language?_ }"

Despite being more then a little annoyed now that he knew what she kept screeching at her sisters, Owen took a breath and then slowly let it out as he had her attention. "Blue... Your sisters had to go to the vet's because they're still badly hurt and the vet will help them." At her disbelieving look, Owen placed his clawed hand across his muzzle. "How many times have you gotten hurt, Blue, and fell asleep before waking up with the smell of the vets on you? And each time, you have felt better."

Slowly, Blue nodded. "{ _Alpha is right... wait._ }" She then gave him a glare as he remembered how he always fed her meat that made her sleepy, like he did with her sisters which let them be moved that morning. "{ _Alpha do bad trick on Pack!_ }"

The transformed human bit back another sigh. "Blue... would any of you have gone otherwise?"

Blinking, the raptor tilted her head and chirped. "{ _Silly, Alpha. If Alpha with us, we would have gone, no need for tricks._ }" After that, she turned and huffed. "{ _Stupid Alpha._ }"

As he bit back a groan, Owen walked over to the kitchen as he made sure that his tail did not knock anything down. Something which sounded easier then it actually was, even with how he had raptor-proofed the home when the Squad were all hatchlings. Having filled a bowl with some water, he set it down and began to drink. After a few moments, Owen was aware that Blue was watching him. "Something the matter, Blue?"

While she hopped from one foot to the other, Blue tilted her head. "{ _... Is Alpha feeling okay?_ }"

Despite everything, Owen felt all his annoyance with her vanish almost immediately as he nodded. "I'm okay, just a little down because of everything..."

Having noticed him look out the window, Blue's eyes sparkled as she thought of something. "{ _I know how to make Alpha feel better!_ }" She twisted around in some circles in excitement, not seeing Owen smile in amusement at her. A moment later, he stared at her with her next words. "{ _We go for run through trees! Maybe hunt even! Make Alpha feel much better!_ }"

Owen coughed into his claws in surprise. "I don't think that would be a great idea, Blue." At her confusion, he shook his head and gestured at himself. "I can't ride my motorcycle like this."

If anything, this made Blue even more confused. "{ _Silly Alpha, you don't need to be on metal creature. You True-Hunter now and can run with pack! I teach you how to hunt like you should now._ }"

Part of him considered her offer as he had always wondered what it was like, but then shook it off. "I _can't_. What if someone sees me? The last thing that I want is for the ACU to try and shoot me." Hearing the phone ring, Owen got up and walked over to the phone. A moment later, he pushed a curious Blue away as he placed it on speaker having recognized the number. "Something happen, Barry?"

There was a moment of silence before the man's voice drifted through the speaker. " _It's about Charlie, Owen. Vet's just checked her and... Well... You have to understand that this is kind of hard to say..._ "

With his stomach having felt like it dropped to his currently clawed feet, Owen barely noted that Blue had her full attention on the phone. "What happened Barry..." Only silence met him. "Barry, you better fucking tell me what is wrong with Charlie or I will come down there and you _don't_ want me to do that."

Blue glanced down to watch as her Alpha's two sickle claws embedded themselves into the wood floor with twin thunks. Then a chuckle came over the phone as Barry answered. " _Charlie is going to be just fine, Owen. Apparently she won't need those prosthetics after all as she's regenerating her leg and missing parts of her tail._ "

Relieved that nothing was wrong, the transformed human reached out and grabbed the edge of the counter. "You asshole, you had me worried..." Suddenly, what Barry had said hit. "Wait, did you just say that Charlie is _regenerating her leg?!_ "

After he sighed, Barry grunted a bit. " _Remember how Simon managed to survive the crash as he got out just before it exploded?_ " Unseen by him, Owen nodded as he remembered that. Everyone had thought he had died, but he had managed to escape moments before the helicopter had detonated and hit his head, knocking him out for a few hours and had been hidden behind some brush. " _Him and Claire as well as Tim Hammond, the other majority stockholder, are ripping InGen a new one and forced them to open up the documents pertaining to the dinosaurs. InGen didn't like it, but the U.S. Government is also involved, heard that Tim called in some old favours with someone who had high connections. Long story short, they used green iguana DNA in Charlie. Those guys can lose a tail and it regrows after some time. In Charlie's case, it lets her, when combined with the rest of her genetics, to regrow limbs lost. The vets are saying it might take a year before she's back to normal though_."

Slowly a smile grew on Owen's face before he laughed in happiness. He then turned to Blue and grabbed the surprised raptor into a hug. "You hear that, Blue! Charlie's leg is going to be just fine and she'll be able to run with the pack!"

Bobbing her head, Blue warbled as she hopped from one foot to another in a strange happy dance. "{ _Pack will all run again one day together!_ }"


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: Jurassic World is owned by Universal Pictures

" _Hello?_ " -Phone or radio.

"{ _Alpha!_ }" -Dinosaur language.

* * *

Claire walked into the raptor room with much less nervousness then she had just a few days before. "Hello, princesses, and how are we today?" Various hisses and rumbles met her as she smiled. "I heard that you had a bit of a time at the vet, so I come bearing treats to make up for it... Just... Don't tell Doctor Harding..."

The raptors watched as a shudder went through her, attention focused on her even if they agreed with her. Even the Stern One, the one the humans called "Rexy" was nervous around him. Blue then sniffed and her eyes lit up. "{ _Does Alpha's mate have what I think she does?!_ }"

With a smile, Claire took a package from her purse and opened it to reveal a large version of a double stuffed Oreo which caused Blue to perk up. "I heard that got like these, Blue."

Gently, Blue took the (in her mind) wonderful, glorious treat into her mouth and began to go through her usual ritual. As she gave one to Echo and Delta, Claire had to bite back a laugh as she watched Blue first swipe her tongue along the sides to clear the cream. Then, and only then, did the raptor begin to eat it slowly and with an expression of enjoyment on her face. 'Alpha's mate is wonderful!'

Having seen the disappointed look on her face, Claire walked over to Charlie and pulled out a bag. "I didn't forget about you either, Charlie. I got the good news that you'll be able to run with your sisters, so I got you something as well." Opening the bag, Claire watched with a smile as Charlie dug into the Cheetos with gusto. "There we go..."

Glancing at her sisters, Echo nodded. "{ _Alpha's mate is a good member of the pack._ }"

As she licked the bit of cream from her lips, Blue bobbed her head. "{ _She is. Will provide for pack and should give Alpha many strong hatchlings._ }"

Unknown to them, Owen had heard her. For a brief moment he closed his eyes and thought over the idea of his girlfriend being a member of a raptor pack. For some odd reason it brought to mind a red raptor with long legs which he found both strange and yet alluring... Before he snapped out of it and placed his claws on his snout. 'I have been a raptor too long...'

Suddenly a voice knocked him out of his thoughts. "Something wrong, Owen?"

Blinking, Owen turned to where Claire now watched him concerned. "Ah, just thinking about some things actually." He took in her raised eyebrow as, once more, the image of a red and long legged raptor crossed his mind. " _Anyways..._ I do have some good news."

Now intrigued, Claire leaned against the doorframe as she glanced to where the raptors were still enjoying their treats. "Is it about..."

Owen gave her the raptor's version of a smirk as he nodded. "Barry and me-"

He was cut off by Claire. "Barry and I."

Wanting to roll his eyes, though he was unable, Owen sighed. " _Barry and I_... were talking this morning the other day about what's happened to me. Both of us think that my grandpa's old amulet had to do with it and I talked with my mother to send his notes and books he had."

That caused Claire to straighten some. "You didn't tell her anything about..."

For a moment, Owen just gave her a look. "Yes, of course I told my mother that I got turned into a raptor, possibly by my grandpa's magical amulet..." At the glare he got, he held up both hands and ignored the snickers from the raptor's room. "Sorry, sorry. But, no, I didn't tell her."

As she relaxed, Claire nodded before she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "In that case... what did you talk about?"

While he crossed his forelimbs across his chest, Owen tilted his head to the side. "Well, I asked her about my grandfather and the amulet. According to her, he used to go out into the woods and spend at least a week out there before he would return with the animal he was training now listening to him. He would never both using for that animal again as he claimed the abilities given to him would stay. So... there's the possibility that this might last only a week, but let me understand the girls still. Alternatively..." He watched her face closely to gauge her reaction. "I'll be able to somehow turn back and forth."

Claire stiffened for a moment. "You think that you'll be able to transform into a raptor whenever you want?"

Slowly as there was something in the tone of her voice that caused him to frown just a bit, Owen nodded. "Maybe, not that I would mind it much as it's pretty cool to become a raptor... as long as I can become human again."

It was then that he noticed that Claire had a far off expression on her face before he heard her muttering to herself. "More teeth... needs more teeth..."

Reaching out, Owen gently grasped her shoulder and shook it. "Claire?" Upon having seen her jolt out of her thoughts, the transformed human tilted his head to the side slightly. "Are you alright?"

Neither of the two needed to finish his sentence as both knew what it was as Claire nodded her head. "Just a thought..." The image of Rexy beating off the Indominus flashed through her mind as her mind went back to how helpless she felt in front of the white scaled monstrosity. After she shook it off, her gaze fell into the amulet as a slightly bemused Owen watched her. "Just... a thought..."

* * *

Having heard Owen growl, Claire stuck her head out of the kitchen where she had been putting some ready made meals into the fridge. Her eyebrow raised as she noticed Owen glaring at a unrepentant Blue. "What did she say this time to set you off?"

Owen glanced at her before he let out a very raptor-like huff of annoyance. "She won't let up trying to convince me to go for a run around or do some hunting."

For her part, Blue gave a short bark. "{ _Alpha being stupid and silly. Needs to learn._ }"

Not quite having understood what the raptor said, Claire did know annoyance from her posture. 'Lord knows that I feel that often enough around him.' She then cleared her throat to bring attention back to her. "I would have thought that Blue would want to stay in the bungalow. After all, the rest need someone to look after them." Once more, Claire had to wonder how much Blue really understood as the female raptor sent her a look of approval. 'That is a bit creepy...'

A sigh escaped Owen as he looked toward Claire. " _Apparently_ , as long as either you or Barry are here for the duration, Blue has no issue as she knows they're safe and will be protected."

Part of Claire felt the warmth in her chest at that before she frowned a bit. "What is the issue then?"

The former human looked toward her and shook his head. "Claire, I'm a _raptor_. If anyone sees me outside the bungalow, there will be questions, especially as I am an unknown one. Next thing that I know, ACU would be on my ass ready to either tranq me or just shoot me."

Several moments passed before Claire grasped her coffee that was on the table and sipped it. "Then... I take it that you don't know?" At his befuddled expression, she rolled her eyes. "As soon as this happened, I got Lowery to do me a small favor. All cameras in the area have been practically disabled. Currently, the only thing up and running are the motion sensors which will see Blue and another dinosaur. They won't be able to tell if it was, say, Echo or you."

As she scratched her neck with one leg, Blue bobbed her head. "{ _See? Alpha's Mate is smart and come up with way for run._ }"

While he looked between them, Owen sighed. "Really?"

Enjoying his exasperation, Claire sipped her coffee some. "Really. Go on and have a run. Blue looks excited to go out and about for a bit, and she trusts me... Just... Don't bring back any dead compies with you or ruin your appetite too much."

There was a twinkle in her eyes that caused Owen to just shake his head before he gestured to Blue. "Fine... Let's get this over with."

Claire watched as Blue poked her head into the raptors' room and chittered excitedly before she practically dragged Owen away toward the front door. Finishing her coffee, Claire poked her head in to see all three resting raptors watching her. "It's just the four of us then, I guess..." A frown crossed her face. "Is there... Anything that you particularly do? Or..."

All three raptors just blinked at her before they tilted their heads at the same time and in the same direction.

* * *

With a grunt, Owen was finally pushed out onto his deck and rolled his eyes. "Okay, okay! I'm outside now." He then looked at her with narrowed eyes. "Happy now?"

Blue just blinked for a moment before she reached over and poked him in the side with a claw. "{ _Alpha should stop being stupid. We run and then be happy._ }"

As he wished, not for the first time, that he could just roll his eyes, Owen looked around and blinked. Even though it was rapidly becoming night, his vision was nearly unaffected as unknown to him, his pupils widened to where they took up a large amount of his eye. Much to his confusion though he saw colors that he didn't know existed and it took him a moment to realize what it was. 'Ultraviolet... I'm seeing ultraviolet light... I forgot that raptors can see in UV wavelengths and that dusk is when it's best to see in UV light.'

From where she stood beside him, Blue tilted her head in curiosity. 'Wonder why Alpha not moving...'

However, Owen did not really notice as he closed his eyes and then took a deep breath through his nose. Almost immediately, he was nearly overwhelmed by the scents all around him as they just about overloaded his brain. Blinking his eyes open, the transformed human took a step back with wide eyes. "Whoa..."

Tilting her head, Blue looked him over. "{ _Something wrong, Alpha? You alright?_ }"

After he shook it off, Owen took another deep sniff of the night air. "Y-yeah, I am, Blue. It's just... wow, it's almost like I was partially or unable to smell all my life and suddenly I can do both." His ears could pick up various sounds of the night and, far off in the distance, he could make out the calls of dinosaurs. "It's... overwhelming." Turning, Owen blinked at Blue with a curious look on his face. "Is this really how you girls see the world?"

Unsure what he meant, Blue tried to puzzle it out in her head. But, even though she was highly intelligent, she didn't understand so the raptor walked past as she pulled her head back. "{ _Not sure what Alpha means._ }"

Part of Owen noted that she seemed almost... embarrassed to admit it. Then he smiled a bit as he stepped off the deck and onto the still sun-warmed dirt. "So... now what?" Walking up beside him, Blue seemed to examine him closely. "Blue?"

Suddenly, Blue poked him. "{ _You catch me._ } "

And with that, she took off into the brush and left a stunned Owen behind. It took him a moment before he shook it off and took off after her. "HEY! NO FAIR!" The brush whipped past him as he ran as fast as he could. Blue was just visible as the two ran along a game trail. As he narrowed his eyes, Owen leaned forward and sped up, pushing his body to the max. Soon he was approaching speeds that he normally only reached on his motorcycle as he navigated the twists and turns, a grin on his face. 'This... is... so... damn... awesome...'

In front of him, Blue looked back for a moment before she hooted in pure joy. Then she turned back around and sped up as the two raced through the darkening forest, their chests heaving. A trunk lay across the trail at head height, but neither raptor gave it any mind as they leapt over it with ease, though Owen used it to push off. "{ _CATCH ME ALPHA!}"_

Laughing out of pure joy, Owen kept up as well as he could as the forest blurred around him from the speed they were running and his instincts took over. "THIS IS SO FUCKING AWESOME!" A few more minutes he lost track of Blue and slowed down as he tried to find her. However, he missed a leaf on the ground and he went skidding. "Ow..."

Thankfully, Owen had not been going too fast as he had run so the only thing that was really hurt was his pride. A hurt that increased as Blue's amused face filled his view as she stared down at him. "{ _Silly Alpha needs to watch where he's going..._ }" With a hoot, she bent down and tapped a claw on his muzzle and took off again. "{ _Can't catch me, silly Alpha!_ }"

A growl escaped from Owen as he climbed back onto his feet and took off after her. Sadly, it did not take long for him to lose her yet again. Finally, he came to a spot and narrowed his eyes as he spotted a stand of brush with some snapped branches and grinned. 'There you are...' Slowly, he inched closer and stopped. Just as he was about to pounce, he heard something and looked to the side to see a grinning Blue sticking her face out of the ferns next to his head. "... Clever girl."

With a playful growl, she leapt out and tackled him to the ground. Standing above him, Blue bobbed her head. "{ _Maybe Alpha should give up and make me Alpha! Because Alpha can't hunt and too silly and not clever enough._ }" Not even a second later, she blinked as she heard a groan come from Owen. "{ _Alpha?_ }"

Gasping, Owen held his forelimbs close as he flipped onto his side. "Oh... oh that's not good. Ow... Oh God..."

Slightly shocked, Blue looked around before she leaned down and examined him. "{ _Alpha!? Is Alpha okay?! Hurt?!_ }"

Owen gasped again and groaned. "B-Blue... I... I need..."

Bobbing her head, Blue leaned in some more. "{ _Yes? What does Alpha need?_ }"

As he groaned again, Owen looked up at her with a slightly pained expression. "Blue... I... need... please, come closer..."

Now really unnerved, Blue leaned in real close. "{ _Where Alpha hurt!?_ }"

Suddenly, Owen's eyes opened and he grinned. In the next second, he twisted around and grabbed Blue who yelped in surprise and shock before he twisted. All Blue knew is that the next thing she knew, she was on the ground with Owen on top of her with a grin. Then he tapped her on the nose. "Gotcha."

Then he was off like a shot and gone from view. A minute passed as the stunned Blue blinked and mentally went over what happened. Her eyes then narrowed and she hopped to her feet as her enraged screech filled the night. "{ _ALPHA! ALPHA BEING TRICKSTER AND NO FAIR! BETTER RUN OR I GET YOU!_ }" Blue's only answer was a laugh that echoed and, with another screech, she took off after Owen.

* * *

Hoots of excitement and laughter followed both Blue and Owen as they left the forest and into the view of his bungalow. There was a massive grin on Owen's muzzle despite the burn in nearly every muscle of his body. "That was _amazing_ , Blue! I feel so alive!"

For her part, Blue was bouncing around in excitement. "{ _See, Alpha? I told you that all you needed was to run and hunt! I teach and you can do so with pack!_ }" She then bounced up to him and gave him a quick nuzzle. "{ _And Alpha learn so quick and well!_ }"

Chuckling some, Owen reached up and rubbed his neck. "Well... I already knew how to do some of what you taught me, just as a human, not a raptor."

Now curious, Blue tilted her head. "{ _What you know, Alpha?_ }"

Owen shrugged a little as he started to really feel the burn in his muscles. Part of him remembered that raptors were built for speed, not endurance. As he moved his jaw and walked a bit, Owen grimaced. "I knew how you guys ran and some tracking skills, though you blow me out of the water there, Blue..." For a moment, Owen worked his jaw. "Never knew that raw compys tasted like popcorn chicken though that was far from the worst thing that I have ever eaten..."

As she scratched at her neck, Blue blinked at him. "{ _Alpha will learn how to properly hunt and run. And Alpha already learning quick!_ }" Her head bobbed a little. "{ _Not long until Alpha is as good as rest of pack and can lead in hunts._ }"

Suddenly, they heard a throat clear and both looked toward the bungalow where Claire waited with a raised eyebrow. "Looks like someone had some fun out there..."

With a crack of his jaw, Owen nodded. "Yeah, I just want to have some more to eat and then lie down..." After seeing Claire raise her eyebrow, he blinked. "Something the matter, Claire?"

Grimacing, Claire rolled her eyes a bit. "You're covered in mud and who knows what else from running around in the woods. You are not coming inside until you're much cleaner."

The transformed human blinked and then looked himself over. Sure enough, there was quite a bit of mud stuck onto him as well as leaves and other ditrus. "Huh... I guess that I can take a shower."

All Claire did was reach for something on the table next to the door. "No, you're not tracking that stuff inside. Thankfully, I saw this coming and prepared."

Not really liking the sound of that, Owen turned toward her. "What do you mean by-GAH!" Much to his shock as well as Blue's, Claire had the hose on the table and swiftly hit him in the face with a stream of water. A moment later, Blue shrieked as the water also hit her face. Owen twisted around to try and shield his head, but that only brought his tail and hindquarters into range which caused him to jump. "WHOA NOW!"

Utterly calm, Claire continued to hose the two down, switching from one to the other quick enough that they had no time to react once she hosed the other. Several minutes passed before she nodded and set the hose back down on the table. "There we go, much cleaner, though you're both staying out here until you're dried off."

And with that, the two stunned raptors watched as she walked back into the bungalow and locked the door behind her. For a few seconds, Blue stared with a open jaw before she turned and gave Owen a narrowed glare. "{ _Alpha's mate is mean with water sprayer!_ }"

Spitting out some water, Owen shook his body some and growled. "Yeah... you're telling me..."

* * *

Later that night, after Blue and Owen had gotten dried off and eaten their dinner, they once more began to settle in for the night in what had started to be called "The Raptor Room". Before they finished though, Claire had walked in with several items. Owen would have raised an eyebrow if he could have as Claire placed a blanket on the floor next to him before also putting down a pillow. "What are you doing?"

Stopping, Claire looked up at him with a raised eyebrow. "I'm setting up a bed for myself here."

Now with a slight frown, Owen shook his head. "I can see that, but _why_ is my question." He could smell something that wafted from her, though it was the slight shake in her shoulders that really told him. "Claire?"

Her arms wrapped around her chest. "I don't want to be alone, Owen." Part of Claire absolutely despised what she saw as a weakness in needing Owen to feel safe. Another part minded very little as it was much better then the bottle of pills she had been given as that was much more of a weakness in her mind. Then there were the visits from the various doctors who had arrived to talk with staff. 'At least Owen understands...'

A moment later, she felt Owen's currently raptor body press up against her back as he placed his forelimbs around her waist. "You want to talk about it?"

Several seconds passed before Claire spoke. "I hate it... I just don't feel safe sleeping unless I'm by you. And last night... After I came down here, I had the best sleep in weeks."

The transformed human was silent for a few moments before he smiled the best that he could. "Well, I suppose that having four highly protective raptors around them would make anyone feel safe." He then glanced at where Blue watched, curious about what is happening as were the other raptors. However, Owen just sighed a bit. "Now come on, lay down while me and Blue get the others ready."

With a nod, Claire laid down and watched as Blue and Owen gently and slowly moved the nests of the raptors until they surrounded where her and Owen would be sleeping. In fact, once more, Echo was the one who was right beside her close enough that the raptor nearly pressed against her body. Finally, Owen walked over and laid down beside Claire as Blue shifted her nest so it was in front of the door. "{ _All done, Alpha! Now we protect mate from bad sleep-runs._ }"

As she raised an eyebrow, Claire turned toward Owen with a silent question which Owen chuckled at. "According to Blue, they'll protect you from any bad dreams."

Smiling softly, Claire reached out and stroked along Blue's neck in the way that she had seen Owen do many times before, which made the raptor close her eyes. She repeated the process with the other raptors who all enjoyed it before she settled in next to Owen. "I'll see you in the morning..."

While he nodded, Owen gently nuzzled her and took a whiff of her scent. "Yeah, see you in the morning." Not too long after, Claire was asleep and Owen watched her peaceful expression as all her worries and fears had melted away. He wasn't the only one as the raptors also kept an eye on her as they all drifted off to sleep.


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: Jurassic World is owned by Universal Pictures

" _Hello?_ " -Phone or radio.

"{ _Alpha!_ }" -Dinosaur language.

* * *

The three wounded raptors looked up as Owen walked into the room accompanied by Blue, the Beta looking as unsure as they felt. After Blue laid down in her nest as gestured at by Owen, he cleared his throat. "Girls... I've been meaning to talk to you for a while now since... Well, all this happened." He began to pace around which made the raptors even more worried as they could sense his emotional turmoil. "Part of me doesn't want to know this but I want... No, I _need_ to know..."

Blue tilted her head to the side in confusion and chirped. "{ _What does Alpha want to know?_ }"

Taking a breath, Owen let it out slowly. "Why? Why did you girls all start to follow the Indominus? I know that I was a human and not a raptor. Hell, I told that bastard Hoskins that you were trained, not tamed." He sat down the best that he could as the now increasingly uncomfortable raptors watched. "Still, I just don't understand why you all turned on my like that? I was there when you hatched, you imprinted on me. I practically raised you when you were hatchlings and yet..." Owen looked up and glanced at each one of them. "Why?"

Each of the raptors looked toward each other before they hung their heads a bit. Finally, Blue spoke up. "{ _There be many reasons, Alpha, why we decided to follow White One, the False-Alpha. You raise us from hatchlings, yes. But you not trust us like packmates should._ }"

With a jerk, Owen blinked. "What? Of course I trust you girls!"

A soft snort escaped from Echo as she looked up. "{ _You used to be with us, Alpha. In stone walled place you would play. But then you stopped and only stood high above Pack. Only touch us when we have cold, hard things on head and muzzle. No longer came down to touch pack or talk with pack. Not sure why Alpha would just do that._ }"

Despite himself, Owen held back a slight wince as he remembered one of the words of wisdom that his own grandfather had given him, words echoed by a number of trainers though he had forgotten it. '"There is more to animal training then just knowing how they act and how to use that knowledge, Owen. When dealing with animals one should always treat them with _respect_. But just as important is that there must be _trust_ between you and the animal. It needs to be able to trust you as well as you be able to trust it. Too much respect but not enough trust can be as bad as too much trust and little respect."'

Sighing, Owen much to the surprise of the raptors places his clawed hands on his head. "Yeah... guess that I forgot that lesson... Sorry girls."

Much to his shock, Blue hissed at him. "{ _Alpha have no reason to be sorry! Pack is more sorry for what it did. Should have trusted Alpha that there were reasons._ }" Her head then sunk a little. "{ _And Pack should never have trusted what False-Alpha said..._ }"

That caused Owen to look at each one of them with a frown. "Wait... what did the Indominus say to you?" None of the raptors would look at him and his frown one deepened as he narrowed his eyes a bit. "Can you tell me?"

Charlie chirped a bit to catch his attention, so the transformed human turned toward her. "{ _False-Alpha speak to us. Say that if we follow it and become it's pack as well as attack and kill Not-Prey, that it would not harm Alpha nor Barry. Both would live and be able to leave island._ }"

Out of everything that he could have expected, Owen had not expected that and it metaphorically gave him a punch to the gut. 'They went with the Indominus because... it told them it wouldn't kill Barry or me then...?'

A snarl brought his attention over to Blue whose sickle foot claws gouged marks into the floor as she clinched her muscles in silent rage. "{ _And then False-Alpha arrived after Alpha showed you trust pack, even with hatchlings in danger. Said that it would go back on word and kill Alpha as well as pack unless Pack killed Alpha. Showed true colors to pack, so told it to..._ }"

With a blink on his part, Owen listened as Blue repeated the sounds that she had made to the Indominus that night and nearly chuckled. 'Never knew that Blue had such... _colorful_ language...'

His attention was caught as Blue opened her arms some. "{ _Echo and Delta hurt False-Alpha for actions, though they get hurt. But False-Alpha lose fight when Alpha's Mate bring Stern One into battle! Alpha's Mate smart and clever with Stern One listening. We beat False-Alpha together, though Fish-Lizard steal kill. Now pack once more all together as it should be! Alpha trusts pack as does Barry and Alpha's Mate. And pack trusts back! Will not disobey Alpha again._ }"

Not quite sure how to really react to what he's finally been told, Owen simply stays quiet as Blue slowly settles down. Sitting down in the middle of his raptors, Owen didn't react when all of them leaned into him and began to nuzzle, seeking some sort of comfort...

* * *

Claire strode through the hallways with an even stride and a confident pose. There was a part of her that gave a twinge every time she turned to say something to Zara, only to remember that she was dead. Even though her fiancé had forgiven her without reservation, Claire still blamed herself and sometimes woke up from a nap after having a nightmare about her former aide. At the moment though, she tapped the headset in her ear as she glanced at the tablet in her hand. "Is this right, Lowery?"

The tech's voice drifted through the headset with a sigh. "Yeah, it is." There was a slurp on the other side which made Claire grimace before he continued. "Rexy is somewhere near the old Visitor Center in the Restricted Zone. ACU already stated that they're not going to try and capture her until all the other dinosaurs are accounted for."

Nodding to herself, Claire looked down at the small red dot that pulsed on the map of the island. 'Hope that you're enjoying it, Rexy. I'll try and let you keep your freedom for as long as I can.' She then cleared her throat. "That was the suggestion that I had given the ACU, Lowery."

On the other end of the line, Claire could hear a laugh. "Well, you are the expert on Rexy, Boss. After getting her to follow you, there's no one whose going to argue against your suggestions in regard to her."

With a glance up to check the hallway sign, Claire frowned for a moment. "I see..."

A few moments passed before Lowery spoke up. "So... how is Owen doing? People have been wondering about him and the Raptor Squad since he came down with that illness..."

Having heard the slight disbelief in his tone, Claire's lips twitched as very few knew the truth about what had happened with Owen. Though he had _not_ enjoyed the visit from Doctor Harding to make sure that he was healthy. "As Doctor Harding stated, Owen is non-contagious to the Assets and cannot infect them. It's simply a precaution."

She could practically hear the grin in Lowery's voice after another slurp. "Back to them being 'Assets' again, huh?"

Much to the surprise of those in the control room, Claire stopped and glared into a camera. At his desk, Lowery flinched at the cold tone in her voice. "Need I remind you what sorts of issues could arise as of this moment from getting too close."

Remembering how a few of the higher members of the Board had tried to get Claire dismissed due to being too close to Owen when she had argued to keep them alive, Lowery flinched. He then held up his hands some. "Sorry about that, just worried about Raptor Dad."

Several moments passed before Claire gave a short nod. "Of course, I'll let him know."

With that, she continued walking as the call was cut off as in the control room, Lowery mentally berated himself. For Claire, she clinched her fists as she wished dearly to punch something having been reminded of the meetings with the Board. 'Those utter fucking bastards... Too close to the dinosaurs my ass...' However, she managed to calm down a bit by the time that she had reached the area she wanted. Partially though not wanting to come across as aggressive, and partially as she reminded herself how Simon had shot down some of the Board members himself. Entering through the doors, Claire cleared her throat. "Doctor Harding."

The elderly seeming man looked up from some notes and nodded. "Miss Dearing, how can I help you today?" Suddenly he frowned and glanced at the camera. "It's not about the situation with Owen, is it?"

As she shook her head, Claire walked in with a smile. "It's about what I asked you about before, regarding samples..."

Doctor Harding shook his head and chuckled some. "I found some that we had on end just in case. Turned out that we had three vials just in case, though with the agreement with InGen, we would have had to ship them out for testing..."

Understanding the look, Claire gave him a smile that reminded him of Rexy in some ways. In particular when she was loose on the island back in 1993 with him and his daughter trying to escape. "I won't go into details, but InGen has had their agreement changed and they should hope that we do not change it further."

All she got was a raised eyebrow before Doctor Harding shook his head. "I believe that you've been around Owen too much..." Before she could comment on that, he sighed. "I can get you the one of the samples we have by the time next week that you want it. Hopefully it works... Part of me wishes that I could try it though. Still... I'm a bit too old for that sort of thing."

With a smile on her face, Claire looked down at the tablet which still had Rexy's position on it. 'Well, you did sleep through the whole... Incident, after all.' Not that she would say such out loud. The good doctor had a certain reputation of not caring about one's position after all if he had a problem. A reputation that made sure that people tried not to cross him.

* * *

Munching on her meal, Claire suddenly stopped and sighed. "I cannot believe how much of a turn to the strange that my life has taken. It was odd enough when I was just the head manager for an island park full of extinct creatures brought back through science. Now? I have a boyfriend who came with a pack of affectionate predatory dinosaurs known as raptors after having run for our lives through said theme park from a hyperlethal genetic abomination. Said boyfriend who I am having dinner with having been turned into a talking raptor due with a mystical amulet." She then took another bite of her salad. "I almost expect myself to be in either a low grade horror-romantic comedy or a sitcome. In fact, I keep waiting for a laugh track to play at times."

Owen gulped down his own meal and gave her a smirk as he snorted. "Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha." Ignoring her eyeroll, he glared down at the steak, done rare, on his place as he tried to use his fork. "As to your life being weird, you don't say..."

All Claire did was shrug a bit. "I will say though that if this was a movie or sitcom, we have the merchandise for you already."

That caused Owen to pause for a moment as it sunk in before his head whipped up. "Wait, what?"

While she took a sip of the wine, the only normal human at the table took a sip of wine. "I said that we already have the merchandise for you." Taking another bite, Claire chewed and swallowed it before she continued. "That video of Echo, Delta, and Blue turning against the Indominus and attempting to protect you has become a major viral hit. Especially after someone spliced in some of the footage of you riding your motorcycle alongside them and Charlie."

Having narrowed his eyes, Owen remembered his own reaction to that as well as the timing. "Which, of course, had nothing to do with you."

Claire showed no sign though except for a slight upturn of her lips before she went on, as if she had not heard him. "In fact, it's still trending on Twitter as is any news about you and the raptors. After some research with focus groups, we found that merchandise of you and 'Raptor Squad' would be extremely popular by capitalizing on your popularity.

For a moment, Owen stared at her before he dropped his head and covered his face with his hands. "Oh God... please tell me that you are joking..."

As she gestured with her fork, Claire chewed another bite of food. "We have even begun decisions on what to sell on our online store due to the park not reopening for a while yet. Upper management has decided that seizing this opportunity for good press is paramount."

With another groan, the transformed human looked up at his girlfriend. "You can't be honestly doing this... you just can't."

Humming, Claire pulled out a tablet and swiped her finger across it until she came to something. "In fact, among focus groups this gained the most approval as being placed on t-shirts and sweaters."

Not wanting to, though knowing he had to, Owen brought his face up to look. "How bad... Oh for..."

It was hard for Claire not to grin at his reaction to the image. Mainly, it was a cartoon version of him as a human gesturing with one finger and wearing sunglasses. Around him, also wearing sunglasses, where cartoon versions of his raptors in various poses. And above and below were banners reading "Behold" and "The Raptor Squad" while flowers provided a background. "Pre-orders are to be made available in two days."

Once more holding his head in his hands, Owen shook it. "This has to be some sort of joke..." Another look showed him that Claire had the slightest upturn to her lips. "It isn't... and you're _enjoying_ this..."

Finishing off her meal, Claire's eyes twinkled in mirth as she held her glass of wine. "You did ask me to create good press for Blue and the others, Owen."

Yet another groan escaped him. "I never asked for... _that_."

The red haired woman just smirked. "Well, I haven't gotten into the action figures yet..."

Hearing something, Blue looked in to find Owen banging his head on the table as Claire chuckled about something. With a huff, she left the room. "{ _Silly, stupid Alpha... Banging head on table..._ }"

* * *

The three raptors all looked up as Blue walked in with a confused expression. With her head tilted to the side, Echo chirped. "{ _Something the matter, Blue? Is Alpha okay?_ }"

Blue looked up before she dismissed the question. "{ _Alpha okay, but heard strange thing._ }" At their curious looks, the Beta laid down into her best. "{ _Alpha and Barry were looking through collection of not-bark. Heard them talking about how Alpha became True-Hunter! Know now how it happened._ }"

Needless to say, that caught all of their attention and the injured raptors leaned forward as Charlie tilted her head. "{ _How did Alpha become True-Hunter?_ }"

Looking around, Blue cocked her head to the side to listen. Now sure that Owen was nowhere nearby, she leaned in toward her sisters. "{ _Alpha tell Barry that he place blood from Pack into metal thing around neck. Metal thing around neck then turn Alpha from Not-Prey into True-Hunter. But according to Not-Bark, Alpha will become Not-Prey again, but able to become True-Hunter as he wants. No need stupid metal thing. Can even understand Pack without it!_ }"

Both Charlie and Echo chittered at that in excitement before Delta blinked and gave a low croon. "{ _Wait, if Alpha put blood of Pack in metal thing and put metal thing around neck which made him True-Hunter... Maybe Pack can put blood from Alpha when Not-Prey into metal thing and put it around True-Hunter's neck to make them become Not-Prey?_ }"

For several moments they were all silent before Blue spoke up. "{ _Maybe? But why become stupid Not-Prey? Not-Prey weaker then True-Hunters. Not fast. So why become Not-Prey?_ }"

With her head cocked to the side, Delta bobbed her head. "{ _Heard Alpha say that Pack could not stay with Alpha in his den because Pack were True-Hunters. Pack also could not go and explore Not-Prey places because Pack were True-Hunters. But if Pack become Not-Prey, then Pack can stay in Den and go to Not-Prey places!_ }"

Charlie perked up at that. "{ _Always wanted to go to Not-Prey places! And try Not-Prey food as Alpha said it was for Not-Prey only and not for True-Hunters. But if Not-Prey then Alpha not say no!_ }"

With a thoughtful look, Blue cocked her head to the side. "{ _Might work. No longer leave Alpha or Alpha's Mate unprotected and can defend Pack's territory. What you think, Echo?_ }"

Said raptor nodded her head rapidly. "{ _Is good plan and will follow. Be with Alpha whenever needed._ }"

A slow raptor grin grew on Blue's muzzle. "{ _All needs to do is figure out how to put blood into metal thing. Then Pack places it on neck and become Not-Prey! No need to go back to Stone Place and stay in Alpha's Den with Alpha and Alpha's Mate! Also go to Not-Prey places..._ }"

* * *

Walking into the room, Owen had to blink at the sight of all four raptors staring at him. After a moment, he looked himself over some. "Is... there something the matter, girls?"

They continued to watch him before Blue gestured with her snout at a "Nest" that was on the floor. It took Owen only a moment to realize it was for him and he settled down into it with an amused expression as Blue watched him. Once he had laid down, Blue hooted. "{ _Now that you here, Alpha, time to teach._ }"

Needless to say this only caused Owen to become even more amused. "Teach, huh?"

Echo bobbed her head as she watched him. "{ _Yes, even though you Alpha, you also True-Hunter now and need to learn how to be one. We teach you like you teach us..._ }" The next moment, Owen had to hold back a laugh as he watched her pull out a bowl that had hunks of meat in it which she tapped with one clawed finger. Meat that his nose told him likely came from a pteranodon. "{ _You do well, we give you piece of meat._ }"

Clearing his throat in order not to laugh, Owen. "Mind if I ask where that came from?"

The answer he got from Blue caused him to blink. "{ _Stupid flying thing was on ground around corner of den outside, following Alpha's Mate as she walked to metal beast. Did not see me in bushes next to it as it threatened Packmate. Alpha's Mate should watch better._ }"

It took only a moment for the transformed human to translate. 'This morning when Claire left to go back to the control center, there was a pteranodon stalking her right around the side of the house. Blue then killed it because it threatened her.' As part of him made note to yell later on at the ACU who had claimed they had accounted for all the flying reptiles, Owen gave Blue a short bob of the head. "Thanks for watching out for her, Blue. I'll let her know and make sure that you get an Oreo later."

That caused the raptor to perk up a little. "{ _Alpha does not need to thank me for protecting Pack! But I no mind Oreo..._ }"

Smiling, Owen shook his head though he turned back to Echo. "So... what are you going to teach me then?"

All of them glanced at each other before Delta leaned forward a bit. "{ _Teach you how to speak as True-Hunter. You True-Hunter now, but only speak as Not-Prey, needs to fix so you speak as True-Hunter as well._ }"

His amusement back, Owen gestured at the bowl of meat. "Just so that I have this straight... You're going to teach me to speak like a raptor, and each time I get it right you'll give me a piece of meat as a reward for doing a good job then?"

With a sigh, Blue huffed at him. "{ _Yes, what we are doing... Alpha slow as well as stupid at times for needing so long to understand._ }"

Now that got a laugh out of Owen as he shook his head. "Well, it is unexpected you know... but why not? I got time to kill after all."

That caused him to get blank looks from the raptors before they looked at each other. Then Charlie reached up with one claw and scratched the bottom of her jaw like she had learned to after copying some of the various handlers. "{ _How does one kill time? Time not have body to kill nor blood to spill?_ }"

In reply, Blue scoffed. "{ _Just Alpha being stupid with saying stupid confusing things._ }"

Still with a smile on his face, Owen settled into a more comfortable position. "Well then... what's first?" About a hour passed before Barry came in to see a frustrated Owen and an amused bunch of raptors as he tried to make a honking noise. Once Owen managed to copy it, Barry outright laughed as Blue threw Owen a piece of meat which he gobbled down before he realized his fellow trainer was there. "Not... one... word..." Barry just smirked a bit as he whistled a bit and shook his head as he walked out. "Barry? BARRY?!"

* * *

Blue was walking along the metal walkway of the enclosure. A look elsewhere showed her sisters also walking around as they kept an eye on whatever was inside the enclosure when a voice caught her attention. "{ _Just think about it, Blue! With what you have done, we proved that Not-Prey can be trained! Use them for fights between large packs instead of dinosaurs!_ }"

Hissing, Blue got up into the face of the Indominus. "{ _Stop being stupid! Not-Prey only trained, not tamed! Still very dangerous and should not be used by large packs to fight other large packs! Is folly._ }"

A screech then attracted her attention and she whipped around to see another raptor fall into the enclosure. "{ _HEEEEEELP!_ }"

Not giving it any thought, Blue jumped off the walkway and into the enclosure before she got between the advancing humans and the raptor. "{ _Whoa!_ " One of them shouted at her and she hissed back. "{ _Back, Alpha! I said get back you stupid shit!_ }" Still shouting, Owen tried to get past her, only for Blue to continue to put herself between him and the raptor as she held out her clawed hand. "{ _Hey! Eyes on me!_ }"

Having caused Owen to back off some, Blue kept an eye on him and the others as the raptors managed to get the one that fell in out. With a growl, she caught sight of the Indominus watching with a smirk...

* * *

Confused, Charlie looked toward her sister as Owen and the other three humans as sounds were exchanged with the large human in front of them. "{ _What are they doing? They not attacking?_ }"

It took only a moment for Blue to realize what was going on just before the sounds stopped and a shudder ran up her spine at the thought. "{ _They're communicating... Not-Prey are communicating!_ }"

The dinosaurs around her attacked only for the humans to bring out bang sticks and start attacking back. Much to Blue's horror, she saw an explosion near her sister, though said raptor was only injured, before the humans ran off. Coughing as she tried to not move her nearly gone leg, Charlie looked up. "{ _Need to stop them! Other dinosaurs in danger, Blue!_ }"

Nodding, Blue heard the sound of Owen's motorcycle fade into background. "{ _Agreed, need to stop the Hoskins..._ }" Her head then tilted a bit in confusion. 'Wonder why Alpha and others turn against us for big Not-Prey though...'

* * *

Softly snarling, Blue backed up some with the two whimpering Tyrannosaur hatchlings behind her. "{ _Get back..._ }" Hoskins' arm reached out for them again though it was stopped before it could reach them as he howled and yelled. For her part, Blue glanced toward where she saw Owen thrown as well as where she knew the other humans in the pack such as Barry were left. 'Hope they be okay...'

A moment later, she blinked as she heard a roar and looked through a side window to see Rexy running toward them with a road flare in her claws. Right behind her, chasing the Tyrannosaurus in high heels, was Claire. Then Rexy threw the flare which landed next to Hoskins and the enraged and screaming Claire burst through a human skeleton and began to fight Hoskins. Rexy then shouted at them. "{ _RUN!_ }"

Not needing to be told a second time, Blue ran with the two Tyrannosaur hatchlings behind her as Claire and Hoskins strugged with each other. When he managed to knock her to the ground and yelled, Blue felt her stomach drop. "{ _No..._ }" Then a moment later, Owen came out of nowhere and leapt onto his back with a shout. "{ _ALPHA!_ }"

The four dinosaurs watched as Owen and Claire tag-teamed Hoskins, slowly winning as they drove him toward the large pool of water. Hoskins gave another shout to them just before Zara leapt from the water and grabbed the surprised man and dragged in to his death. Beside Blue, one of the hatchlings gulped. "{ _I-is it over...?_ }"

While she watched Owen and Claire turn toward each other, Blue let out a short bark. "{ _Yeah... it's over..._ }" Both humans then kissed before Owen looked toward Blue. The raptor sighed and then nodded and the two humans took off together...

* * *

Awaking with a start, Blue blinked as she got her breathing under control. Several moments passed before she looked around the dark room. Still somewhat out of it, Blue noted how Owen was still a raptor and had Claire curled up into his side as Blue and the other raptors surrounded them in their nests. Blue laid like that for a bit before she shook her head and laid back down. "{ _Stupid, wierd Sleep-Runs. Won't eat strange colored hopping thing again before sleep. Gives strange Sleep-Runs..._ }"

Soon after she was once more asleep with some odd dreams...


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: Jurassic World is owned by Universal Pictures

" _Hello?_ " -Phone or radio.

"{ _Alpha!_ }" -Dinosaur language.

* * *

It was an uncomfortable Owen who held his mouth open as Doctor Harding looked inside. After nearly a minute, the doctor let him shut it and scowled at him. "Owen, have you been eating junk food like I specifically told you _not to?_ "

Snapping his mouth shut, Owen glanced around and cleared his throat. "Of course not..."

Doctor Harding just gave him a glare that caused the transformed human to flinch before he took off his gloves and pinched his nose with his fingers. "At least tell me that you have been chewing bones like I told you to. Your teeth need to be cleaned and that's the best way."

Now it was Owen's turn to scowl a bit. "I'm a human, not an actual raptor Doc. I don't need to chew bones and I've been using my toothbrush just like always. Mouthwash too."

Just as Gerry Harding was about to go into a tirade about how it was not healthy, his daughter, a fellow Vet at the park spoke up as she gently wound bandages over Echo's burns. "Leave him alone dad, he's got a point." She then glanced over at him as she gently patted Echo's neck. "You're just pissed off at Sarah and taking it out on him."

Her father turned his head and snorted at her. "Like you're much better, Jess. That video of you punching your half-sister in the face was all over the news. You're just lucky that Ian didn't press charges for attacking his wife..."

Rolling her eyes, Jess snorted. "Dad, Ian _agreed_ that I was right to punch her. How fucking insensitive can you get by saying that she had warned people an accident was going to happen. And before you say it, the stress that my nephew is putting her through is exactly the last excuse that she can make considering what I got up to."

There was just the faintest of smiles on Doctor Harding's face before he shook his head. Meanwhile, Owen was more interested in the seemingly wet bandages that Jess had beside her in a container. "So... you never did explain to me what those are?"

Jess glanced at him before she smiled. "They contain a little something called 'Hydrogel'. It helps with healing third degree burns and leaves no scaring." After she reached in to get another roll, she shook her head. "It's water based and such. It's still going through trials for humans, but since Echo here isn't a human, we managed to get a hold of some. Seems to really be doing the trick for her, huh girl?"

As the vet stroked her neck, Echo closed her eyes and let out a soft hiss of pleasure at how her burns were feeling much cooler. None of the raptors minded the female vet as she had been their personal one since they were born. "{ _Ahh... just a bit lower..._ }"

With a smirk, Owen chuckled. "She wants to rub a bit lower."

The vet gave him a grin and then stroked her hand down a bit lower which caused the raptor's tail to thump against the ground. "I have to admit, I would love to be able to talk and understand these girls. Would make my job a lot easier if I could..." Putting the bandages away, she walked over to Charlie and pulled out a syringe and bottle from her pack. "Now for you, Charlie."

If there was one reason why the other vets besides the Hardings didn't really like working with the raptors besides their reputation, it was Owen's need to know what they were doing to his pack. "What are you injecting into her now?"

Having unwrapped the bandage around the end of Charlie's leg with it had been amputated, Jess glanced over at Owen. "Don't worry, I'm just injecting some Wnt proteins into her stump. Before you even ask they help in the regeneration of wounds and bone. I got some for bones specifically here for Delta to give her."

As he glanced at Gerry, said vet rolled his eyes. "They'll be perfectly fine, Owen. In fact, it's helping to speed up their healing process. Masrani is extremely interested in how the treatments go."

Owen grumbled a bit. "Sounds more like they're using them for test subjects then anything..."

Both Jess and her father shared an amused look before Gerry cleared his throat. "So... Barry told me that you were getting trained by the raptors in how to speak raptor? Complete with meat as a treat?"

There was a grimace on Owen's face as he glared at the raptors who all made sounds that were their version of a laugh. "Let's just say that's a work in process..."

* * *

Having entered the bungalow, Claire walked around to try and find Owen before she looked into the raptor's room with a raised eyebrow. "Have any of you seen Owen around?" As one, all four raptors looked toward the couch which caused Claire to look herself. With a raised eyebrow, Claire tried to not let her lips turn upward into an amused smile as she saw the top of a raptor's head. "Owen... What are you doing back there?"

A moment later his voice drifted out from behind there. "Hiding from Doc Harding..."

That only caused Claire's amusement to rise. "This would not have anything to do with him having given me paperwork for having given some dinosaur a group of shots, would it?"

Owen raised his head over the back of the couch and gave her a glance before he looked around. "Blue, the little shit, went and reminded Harding that I had not had any shots as a raptor... and he was prepared!"

Now crossing her arms across her chest, Claire bit her lip a little as she had already heard the story from Jess Harding, before she cleared her throat. "Mind explaining...?"

Slowly dipping behind the couch again, Owen groaned as he began to tell her.

* * *

Both Jess and her father shared an amused look before Gerry cleared his throat. "So... Barry told me that you were getting trained by the raptors in how to speak raptor? Complete with meat as a treat?"

There was a grimace on Owen's face as he glared at the raptors who all made sounds that were their version of a laugh. "Let's just say that's a work in process..."

If anything, Gerry was even more amused by that as he could see the raptors all preen. "Must be hard for them I suppose... So, how does it feel to be the one whose getting trained? Well, besides by someone other then Claire, that is."

Softly snarling, Owen glanced at Jess before he glared at her father. "Jess... you better get some of those bandages ready for your father... If he keeps it up, he's going to need them."

A bark from Blue caused his head to whip around as she clicked her claws together. "{ _Alpha! Over here, eyes on me!_ }"

It took a second for Owen to realize what had happened and he narrowed his eyes at Blue who only gave him an innocent look. He wasn't the only one as both Jess and Gerry, familiar with Owen's own training method with his clicker, took only a moment. Hiding her smile in her shoulder, Jess could not hide her snort. "Okay, that answers that question..." When Owen stuck his tongue out at her, Jess rolled her eyes. "Real mature, Owen."

Blue meanwhile blinked for a moment before a glint entered her eyes. "{ _Why Alpha stick tongue out? Is Alpha sick?_ }" The raptor then turned toward Gerry and gave a short screech. "{ _Not-Prey Fixer! Give Alpha pointy things in tail to help him not be sick!_ }"

With wide eyes, Owen's head turned toward Blue before his eyes narrowed into a glare. "Blue you little shit! Don't be giving Doc Harding any ideas to give me shots!"

He froze as he heard a thoughtful sound from Gerry. "Hmm... she does have a point actually. If you're going to be a raptor for a while yet, you should get some shots just in case. After all, who knows what you might catch otherwise."

Seeing the highly amused and victorious expression on Blue as well as the low purr, Owen growled as he made the mistake of turning his attention on her. "Blue you little shit! I'll-GAH!"

Jess used his distraction to grab him around the neck and under his chest to hold him in place as her father pulled out a needle and a small vial. All Blue did was chirp as Owen struggled a bit while trying not to hurt the two vets. "{ _Clever Not-Prey..._ }"

Still trying to struggle, Owen felt the prick near his tail. "FUCK!"

* * *

After having heard the whole story, Claire shook her head as she pinched the bridge of her nose. "Oh for the love of God, Owen. I have not seen someone whine so much about getting some needles. And just because you got some shots there does not mean that you cannot sit down."

Laying his head across the top of the couch, Owen widened his eyes as much as possible. "But Claire..."

With a cocked eyebrow, Claire rolled her eyes. "Honestly, Owen. Weren't you in the Navy?" Her tone turned dry as she watched his eyes widen even more having recognized what he was trying to do. "And while on a puppy that look might be adorable, it's not quite the same on a raptor." Owen then got up and walked around the couch before he placed his head on her shoulder. "Okay, seriously? Placing your head on my shoulder and giving an injured trill? Blue!"

Said raptor sat up and then glared at Owen before she barked. "{ _ALPHA! You little shit!_ }"

The former human turned toward Blue and glared. "I blame you, Blue. If there's any little shit here, it's _you._ "

As she looked down on him, Claire gave him a unamused look even as she is internally chuckling. "If you are trying for sympathy or trying to get me to kiss it better, think again."

Owen just grumbled.

* * *

It was night out and Blue was doing her usual last patrol around the bungalow to make sure that nothing dangerous was in the area. After all, she considered herself a good Beta and good Betas always made sure that the nesting area of the pack was safe. Just as she was about to head in, Blue heard the rustle of plantlife and narrowed her eyes. 'What's there?' Listening, she tracked the sound and soon came to the spot and leaned down. What she saw there caused the raptor to blink in confusion. "{ _Hopper-Thing?_ }" Blue stared at the massive toad-like creature in amazement. 'Is very big Hopper-Thing! Nearly as big as Not-Prey's head!'

Unknown to Blue, it was a Beelzebufo, or 'Devil Frog' which had originally existed 70 million years before. While the island had dinosaur species on it, there were also other species including the massive amphibian that lived on Nublar. Some of them had been recreated as tests and experiments in techniques. Others were created by some of the lower ranked geneticists in the labs to gain experience for later, and more advanced species. The frog/toad that Blue was sniffing was one of these.

However, said amphibian had a defense against predators such as raptors. When under threat, it would begin to secrete a poison composed of psychoactive chemicals. Currently, the one that Blue was sniffing was secreting said chemicals which were rubbing all over Blue's snout as she sniffed it. After a few moments, Blue pulled away and blinked as she considered eating the creature before she remembered the odd dreams the last time and shook it off. It helped that she wasn't hungry due to having eaten earlier. 'Don't want more wierd sleep-runs.'

A voice called out from the bungalow which attracted her attention. "Blue, what the hell are you doing out here?"

Giving one last glance to the beelzebufo, Blue barked. "{ _Making sure no danger to pack!_ }" And with that, Blue ran back to the door and opened it as she had learned how and walked in. Just before she walked into the room, she felt a wetness on her snout and licked it before she went in. Not too long after, she was in her nest and blinked as sleep claimed her. 'Feel strange...'

* * *

Blue struggled from where she laid on the ground as around them wreckage burned. There, in a crater stood the Indominus. It was covered in leather and had a large hammer in one clawed hand as it shouted. "{ _The time has come, to denounce your paltry gods Not-Prey!}_ " It then slowly raised the hammer above it's head. "{ _Not-Prey! Your salvation is at hand!_ }"

Just as it shouted something, the Indominus paused as it heard something. "Ooo-child, things are going to get easier! Ooh child, things'll get brighter!" Slowly, the Indominus lowered the hammer at the sight of Owen as a raptor and dressed in leather doing a dance. "Listen to these words... Ooh child, things are going to get easier! Ooh child, things'll get brighter! Now bring it down hard! Some day, yeah! We'll get it together and we'll get it all done!"

Stunned, the Indominus blinked as it spoke in utter confusion. "{ _What are you doing?_ }"

Doing some pelvic thrusts, Owen grinned. "Dance off, bro! Me and you!" Now standing, Blue watched as Owen did several movements and then held his arm out to her. "Blue!" The Indominus turned to her as Blue shook her head. All Owen did was nod. "Subtle, now take it all back."

As Owen continued to dance, much to both dinosaur's confusion, though Blue could not take her eyes off him as he did some pelvic thrusts. 'What... is Alpha doing?'

Finally, the Indominus snarled. "{ _WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?_ }"

Still with a grin, Owen continued to dance. "I'm distracting you, you big turd blossom."

Hearing something, the Indominus turned in time to see Rexy point a gun at her before Grey connected two halfs of a wire. Then the gun shot a out a flare which struck the hammer and released a glowing whistle that Owen jumped for as did the Indominus. With wide eyes, Blue reached for him. "{ _Nooo!_ }"

Then Owen grabbed it and a field of high winds surrounded them. Slowly, Blue, Rexy, and Grey struggled toward him and grabbed him. Once everything settled down and the winds were no longer affecting them, the Indominus stared at them. "{ _B-but you normal... how?!_ }"

Owen just smirked. "You said it yourself, bitch. We're the Guardians of the Island." He then brought the whistle up to his mouth as thre Indominus lunged and blew... And a mosasaur leapt out of the whistle and grabbed the Indominus before both fell into a pool of water behind it.

After that, Blue's dreams only got _stranger_...

* * *

Finally once more human, Owen stretched in the morning sunlight with a mug of coffee in one hand as he let the sun warm his skin. 'Ahh... much better...' He took a tentative sniff of the air and grinned. "And it seems that grandpa was right about the senses bit. Nowhere as good as it was as a raptor, but better then before." For several moments he stood there before a familiar blur ran past and into his bedroom. "Hmm..." Slowly turning, Owen walked back into his home and into his bedroom where he found Blue trying to hide behind the bed. "... Blue... why are you hiding behind my bed?"

Blue raised her head above the top of the bed and blinked at him before she hissed. Once more Owen thanked how due to the amulet's transformation he was able to understand his girls. "{ _Evil Hopper-Thing outside. Won't get me and give me strange feelings..._ }"

After a few seconds, Owen remembered a few days back where he woke up to find Blue acting strangely and it turned out she was high. "... This has to do with that whole thing from the other day, doesn't it?" However, all he got was a glare from the raptor that poked her head above the mattress before he remembered Doctor Harding's orders to bring whatever caused it into him just in case so he could know what he was dealing with. "Okay Blue, let's go see what this evil 'Hopper-Thing' is, shall we?"

In return, he got a surprised expression from Blue. "{ _No, Alpha! Hopper-Thing too dangerous for Not-Prey!_ }"

Now amused, Owen shook his head. "Blue, I'm Alpha of this pack and if there's something dangerous near my house I need to know exactly what it is."

For a moment there was silence before Blue blinked and stood up with a look of awe on her face. "{ _Alpha is very brave._ }" It was several minutes where Blue stood on the porch before she noticed that Owen came out with his rifle on his back and what looked like handguns which the raptor nodded at. "{ _Alpha smart to bring bang sticks with._ }"

Rolling his eyes, Owen gestured. "Well? Show me where this evil Hopper-Thing is."

He followed her as she lead him through his property on the edge of the Restricted Zone. It was not too long before she leapt back as if she had been burned. "{ _There! Evil big Hopper-Thing right there!_ }"

Still amused at her actions, Owen walked up and parted the bush as he chuckled. "Let's see what you're afraid of..." There was silence as the grin fell off his face and he blinked. "What the fuck?"

* * *

Claire looked up from where she was talking quietly with Doctor Harding to see Owen walk in with a large box in his hands. "Owen? What do you have there?"

Grunting a bit, Owen glanced over at Gerry who watched in interest. "Well, Blue came up to me this morning and let me know that she found whatever it was that caused her to be more drugged up then someone at Woodstock."

With a slight frown, Gerry grumbled. "We weren't that bad..." Not a moment later he covered it up with a cough as various other control personnel turned to watch. "Anyways, you brought it here then?"

As he grimaced a bit, Owen shrugged the best that he could. "You did tell me that I was to bring whatever it was to you whenever I found it, ASAP." The box in his arm shifted a bit. "Lisa told me that you were here and you are also the one who practically knows what every animal on this island is... for the most part. And sure as _hell_ I don't have the first idea what this is."

Now really intrigued, Gerry walked over as Owen set the box down on a table. "So it was an animal, huh? Toad like I thought?"

Snorting, Owen shook his head as he opened the box slowly after having put on plastic gloves. "I don't think that toad really qualifies for _this_... OW! You fucking little shit!"

That caused everyone to turn and stare as Owen seemed to struggle with something in the box. For her part, Claire watched in equal parts amusement and interest. "Who's with Blue and the others?"

While he grunted, Owen glanced at her. "Barry is... Let go of my damn fingers you little bastard! HA!"

The raptor trainer then lifted whatever it was out of the box to reveal a truly massive frog-like creature nearly the size of his head. Stepping back, Claire stared at it. "What is that thing!?"

Meanwhile, Gerry slipped on some gloves and gently took it from Owen as he looked it over. "It resembles a Pacman frog from South America, but I have never heard of one this size... other then that..."

A thought then occurred to him and he walked over to where Lowery was, only for the tech to scramble away as the frog opened it's mouth. "Get that thing the hell away from me!"

Glaring at him, Gerry silenced the tech before he scowled. "Get me a connection with the Sorna Research Outpost, now. Try and get Richard on the line via video." At the stare, he just raised an eyebrow. "What is it?"

Just stopping himself from rubbing his face, Owen sighed. "Richard... as in Richard Levine the pompous asshole that's only on Sorna because no one can stand him? Why the hell are you contacting that asshole?"

With a raised eyebrow, Claire glanced at him. "Doctor Levine is one of the best paleontologists we have with the Hammond Foundation on Sorna. And with Doctor Freeman currently on the Mainland and out of reach, Doctor Levine is our closest expert." A frown crossed her face. "Is there any history that I should know about between the two of you, Owen?"

There was a growl not too different from his raptors that escaped from Owen which caused some shivers to run down various peoples' spines. "Yeah, he visited the pen one day a few years back while you were away at meetings on the mainland. Guy was a Grade-A asshole to both me and Barry and continually insulted our training of Blue and the others. Barry finally had enough and slugged him in the face hard enough to break his nose."

Silence met him as several people, including Claire, stared at him. Eventually, Claire managed to get words out. "Wait... _Barry_ slugged him? Barry, one of the most even tempered people on staff slugged someone?"

Working his jaw, Owen nodded. "Yeah..."

It was then that a man in his fifties came up on the screen with an annoyed expression on his face. "There had better been a good reason for this call, I was just observing the Maiasaur herd as it was nesting via the cameras that we set up and am quite busy-"

He was cut off by Harding who glared at him. "Richard, shut the hell up, we might have an issue over here."

Levine just sighed dramatically and waved him on. "Oh, fine. I _suppose_ that I can take some time out of research here to deal with whatever minor issue you have."

In reply, Gerry grunted. "Found a frog-like creature here on the island and I can't identify it. Figured that you might be able to."

Now interested, Levine sat up a bit. "Hmm... new creature you said? I'm guessing it might have came from the restricted zone on Nublar then?" At the nod from Gerry, he leaned in. "Well? Let me see it." Gerry just held it up to the webcam and Levine frowned a bit as he rubbed his chin. "Looks like a Pacman Frog... but that size... Bigger then a Goliath frog or nearly as big..." His eyes narrowed a bit as he frowned deeper. "Hmm... Unless I'm mistaken, that's a Beelzebufo, a 'Devil Frog'. Lived about 70 million years ago in the Cretaceous period."

Stepping forward, Claire cleared her throat. "Is it dangerous? We believe it's secreting hallucinogenic substances. At least powerful enough to drug a full grown raptor."

That if anything caused Levine to sit up even more. "Really? Now that is rather interesting... though from what you said about raptors it's probably because of something that fool Grady or his partner did. Doesn't want to follow advice."

Steel was in Claire's voice as she ground her teeth. "Owen Grady is one of our best behavioral experts, _Doctor_. In fact, he has worked nothing less then miracles here in the park with his pack and should I remind you that he is one of the heroes of the recent incident. Now... is it dangerous or not to guests?"

With a sigh, Levine rolled his eyes which caused Claire's eyebrow to twitch. "Unless they lick them, no. However I would be careful about them. If they're anything like the Pacman frogs, then they're voracious eaters and will eat anything that they can swallow. Insects, other frogs, lizards, snakes, small mammals... even dinosaur hatchlings. You'll need to be careful that none somehow get on any boats to the mainland or anything else. If they're that toxic, that means there's most likely few animals out there that can prey upon them... Hopefully you'll have a better track record there then elsewhere."

Her nostrils flaring, Claire fixed him with the iciest glare, yet one which could melt steel at the same time. "Thank you for your _viewpoint_ Doctor Levine."

The man just waved her off. "My pleasure. And Gerry? Please send me anything you find out about these Beelzebufo? I'm always interested in seeing reports from other experts. I trust that Miss Dearing will make sure that I receive them."

And with that, he cut the connection and all was silent in the control room before Claire let out a long, drawn out breath. "Owen?"

Somewhat unnerved at the sheer rage he saw in her eyes, Owen nodded. "Um, yes Claire?"

Claire turned toward him and he flinched a bit. "I am starting to see what issues you might have with him..."

* * *

Claire sighed a bit as she looked at her sister and nephews on the screen of her laptop. "So you see, I'm going to be out of contact for the next week due to some personal business... Mr. Masarni has gotten his way and I am going on a... sabbatical of sorts."

Her sister slowly nodded, though a part of her wondered about the amulet around her sister's neck. "Well, you of all people do deserve one and taking some time off might be for the best." The other woman ignored Claire's eyeroll as she had tried to convince her to quit after what had happened. "Now then, about this boyfrien...d..." Slowly, Karen's eyes widened as she noticed what she remembered from Grey's books as a raptor walk up behind her sister. Said raptor had a blue stripe on it and glanced between the laptop and Claire in interest. "Sis... be very still and carefully turn... there's a dinosaur behind you..."

Lifting an eyebrow, Claire turned as Grey and Zach let out breaths as they recognized the raptor. "Well, hello there Blue. You wanted to see who I was talking to then, I take it?"

The raptor walked up beside her and let out a warble as she leaned in close to the laptop's camera to look at the three humans. "{ _Is hatchlings?_ }"

Not understanding her, Claire pointed at Zach and Grey. "You remember my nephews, right? Zach and Grey?"

Blue just gave a bob of the head while a grinning Grey waved at her. "Hey, Blue!"

After she tilted her head to the side, the raptor tapped the screen and then leaned in to sniff it as if trying to find where they are. Claire just rolled her eyes and gently pushed Blue away. "They're nowhere near here, Blue."

Much to Karen's surprise, Claire reached up as Owen had taught her and gently stroked a hand along Blue's neck much to the raptor's pleasure. "Claire... are you petting a killer dinosaur...?"

Frowning, Claire gave her sister a disappointed look. "Firstly, I'm not petting her. Blue is not just an animal and I prefer to call it stroking. Secondly... there were reasons as per the news releases. Not the least of which were people firing on her without warning." A thought then occurred to her as she turned to Blue and kept an eye on Zach and Grey who had leaned closer to the screen on their side to better see Blue. "What do you think, Blue? Should I give your sisters a look."

There was a wide eyed look on Blue's face before she bobbed her head and took off out of the room with a sound not unlike a crow's call. As she stood up and began to walk out of the room, Karen gave her sister an uneasy look. "Please don't tell me that you're there alone with them... or that you have been sleeping there with those _things_ on the loose."

Having heard that, Claire stopped and gave her sister a glare. "They're not things. As for the raptors, they've actually been sleeping around me and I can honestly say that I have never felt safer." She ignored the shocked look on her sister's face as she tried to calm herself down. A part of Claire wondered when and how she became so protective of the raptors but shrugged it off. Not too long after, she sat down in front of the injured and nesting raptors who had their nests beside each other. With a smile, Claire looked between them as they leaned over and around her. "There we go."

Zach just gaped at her before he grinned. "Aunt Claire, you are so freaking badass!"

With a proud smile, Claire ignored the admonishment that Karen gave her son as Charlie tilted her head a bit with a snort. "{ _Who they? Look like hatchlings..._ }"

From her spot with her head on Claire's arm, Blue gave a bark. "{ _You not meet them, but they hatchlings for Alpha's Mate's Nest-sister. Older one kept younger one safe from White One._ }"

That caused the other three to turn to her before Echo leaned in and nuzzled where Zach's image was. "{ _Take care of younger members of pack, even in danger. Is good member of his pack._ }"

It was then that the youngest of Claire's nephew's leaned in. "What are their names, Aunt Claire? Last time... you know."

While tilting her head some, Claire stroked Blue's head. "Well, you know Blue here." She then reached up and gently scratched under Echo's jaw. "And this is Echo..."

As they went through the forest, Owen glanced at Claire who stared straight ahead. "So, did you tell Zach that you're using his jeep?"

Smiling slightly, Claire showed some teeth as she snorted as she leaned back into the newly upholstered seat of the old jeep. "The jeep belongs to Jurassic World as anything else that belongs to the original park does." Owen just raised an eyebrow at that, which caused her to smile. "That is not to say that it is unavailable to him if he should ever return to the island. He is sixteen after all."

With a shake of his head, Owen chuckled a bit. "Well, if you ever want to send it to him as a birthday gift, just let me know. I got some connections that can get it to him." All he got in return was a roll of the eyes before his expression became serious. "Are you sure about this, Claire?"

The red head just nodded as she let out an explosive sigh, the metal of the amulet cool against the skin of her chest. "I am." Claire then turned her head to where Owen drove the jeep, his knuckles white against the wheel. A moment later, she placed one of her hands on top of one of his. "Owen, I need to do this. I need to know that next time I won't be so useless."

A snort escaped from Owen as he glanced over at her. "Useless? I would not call releasing Rexy and then leading her to where the Indominus was while running in _high heels_ useless." Seeing the thoughtful look on Claire's face as she stared out at the darkened forest. "So... why Rexy? Besides the obvious?"

Several moments of quiet passed before Claire began to speak. "I've been with the park for a long time. I was here shortly after most of the more dangerous dinosaurs outside the restricted area were captured by the ACU, including Rexy. John was still alive at that time and took me through the slowly being rebuilt park and talked with me. Even in the advanced stages of his illness, the dinosaurs came first. He brought me up to Rexy's enclosure. God... that first time I was so frightened of her as she ate that goat. Rexy made me feel so small and powerless, not in the way the Indominus did but..." After a few seconds she continued. "For as long as John was alive, we visited her together as the enclosure was built around her."

Glancing at her, Owen nodded as he got the feeling that he was about to be told exactly why his girlfriend was so protective of the T-Rex. "Go on."

Claire let out a breath and closed her eyes. "Do you know why Rexy is still around? It's not just because she's the most popular or how she was the favorite of the island. She's the Emperess and the island is her kingdom. It doesn't matter what dinosaur there is, almost all of them will pay attention to her roar with few exceptions... It's her job to keep the other dinosaurs in line." She gazed at her reflection in the glass. "And I respect her for that and look up to her. It's strange I guess, but Rexy is a role model for me in how she keeps control of the island. If I can run the park like her, fairly and with respect, then I know that I am doing something right."

There was a frown on Owen's face as he thought it over before he slowly nodded. "I can believe it. You know what Blue and the others call Rexy?" At the interested look from Claire, he glanced over at her. "They call her 'Stern One' and with more then a little respect."

While a smile bloomed on Claire's face, she gestured with a finger. "And that is what I mean, all the dinosaurs who are smart respect her." Slowly, her smile became gentler. "I visited her every day in her pen just after her last show. Often, the two of us would just stand there and watch each other through the glass. Sometimes I would sneak her an extra goat or, on really stressful days, I would place a blanket on the floor and a pillow and just talk to her as I laid there. Let it all out." There was a pause before Owen squeezed her hand. "Rexy is... special, you know?"

All Owen did was smile at her and nod.

* * *

The sound of birdsong slowly caused Claire to stir from her dreams of hunting through the forest and roaring every once in a while. Suddenly, she felt a light touch on her nose which caused her eyes to flutter open. "Mmm... Owen?" Right there in front of her was Owen, with her eyes level with his chest. "Did it work?"

A chuckle escaped him as he continued to take down the large and open sided tent. "It worked." He then walked over to the jeep as Claire felt a _tail_ attached to her as it swished from side to side. "You transformed fully about... two-ish in the morning. Hard to sleep with all the growling and soft roars you let out."

If she could have, Claire would have blushed. As it was, she lifted her now massive head off the ground and blinked at the sheer amount of color that met her. Then she took a deep breath through her nose and mumbled. "And here I thought that you were kidding about the senses... this is... I can't really describe it."

Owen chuckled a bit as he brought out a mirror and held it in front of Claire to show a Tyrannosaurus Rex in her place. Part of Claire was pleased with how muscular she looked and also noted how there was a reddish colored area on her head and neck where her hair was as a human. "You're an impressive specimen..."

So busy looking herself over, Claire almost didn't notice when Owen trailed off. She did notice a almost bitter smell from him and turned her attention back on him as he stared at something behind her. "Owen?"

Suddenly, a growl ripped through the clearing bringing Claire's attention back to the mirror where she could now see a familiar scarred T-Rex walking up beside her, examining her. "{ _Hmm... there you are. I've been hearing you for a time now._ }" Rexy then took a sniff and narrowed her eyes. "{ _Why do you smell of my Tall Daughter and sound like her? Speak now and if you have harmed my Not-Prey hatchling..._ }"

Gulping as there was a shiver that ran up her spine at the unstated threat, Claire twisted her head around to look at the suspicious "Empress of the Island" as the T-Rex examined her and waited. "Rexy? It's... me, Claire?" A growl escaped from the T-Rex as Claire tried not to let her heart leap from her chest. "I turned into this and... Owen, turn into a raptor now."

Not quite sure he heard her right, Owen glanced at her and hissed. "Say _what!?_ "

Claire only let out a calm breath. "Owen... turn into a raptor _now_ so that she can understand that I am not lying..."

All her boyfriend did was shake his head "If we die, I'm blaming you..."

Much to Rexy's surprise, where there stood a human one second there was suddenly a raptor. She gave a sniff and blinked as the scent barely changed before she sniffed Claire again. Just as suddenly, her mood shifted and she leaned down and nuzzled a surprised Claire. "{ _It's about time you became like me, Tall Daughter...}_ "


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: Jurassic World is owned by Universal Pictures

" _Hello?_ " -Phone or radio.

"{ _Alpha!_ }" -Dinosaur language.

* * *

Surprised, Claire blinked at the other Tyrannosaur. "You... believe me?"

The look she got from Rexy caused her to shift somewhat uncomfortable. "{ _You smell like my Tall Daughter, sound like her, not like me. Also, Not-Prey turned into Swift-Claw._ }" She then looked down at Owen and narrowed her eyes. "{ _Tall Daughter called you Owen... I remember her stating you do bad courting of her..._ }"

With a wince, Owen turned to Claire with a disbelieving expression. "Was there _anyone_ you did not tell about our first date to!?"

Despite herself, Claire did feel a little bad before she coughed. "Well, in my defense how many dates occur where one of them show up in board shorts?"

Owen tilted his head and gave her a look as he crossed his forelimbs across his chest as he was still a raptor. "Oh? And how many dates bring a whole itenery with them?" A soft growl reminded them that they were not alone and both turned toward Rexy who gave Owen a baleful gaze. "Heh... Um, hi?"

Grunting, Claire tried to get up and grimaced a bit as she failed before she sighed. "Rexy, Owen and I are... courting, I suppose you could say." Seeing the expression on the T-Rex's face, Claire let out an explosive sigh. "He... saved my sister's offspring from the Indominus the, um..."

It was Rexy who gave a name as she looked at Owen in surprise. "{ _e protected your nest-mate's hatchlings from the Usurper? Hmm... perhaps he might make a good mate for you, Tall Daughter._ }" Then she leaned her head down and growled. "{ _But I will be keeping an eye on this courtship and if there is one claw out of line..._ }"

Now really uncomfortable, Owen took a step back. "Um... Understood..." He transformed back into a human and shivered a bit. 'And here I thought that normal parental figures were unnerving...'

Hearing a grunt, Rexy turned to see Claire dig in her clawed feet as she tried to get up, only to lunge forward a meter and knock Owen on his ass. Ignoring that, Rexy leaned down to look into Claire's eyes and noticed that they were the same eyes as on her human, which only solidified that this was truly her 'Tall Daughter' in her mind. "{ _What is the issue?_ }"

Embarrassed, Claire sucks in a breath as she looks up. "I... um, can't get up." She glanced at Owen as the man groaned a bit. "You okay?"

Nodding, Owen got to his feet carefully. "Y-yeah... Just let me know next time..." Then he blinked as he noticed Rexy huff and slowly lay down next to Claire. "Huh..."

Once she is sure that she had Claire's attention, Rexy grunts. "{ _Watch._ }" Slowly, Rexy shifted until her arms were underneath her chest. She waited until Claire moved to the same position before she brought both legs to where they were beside her body with her massive clawed feet perpendicular to her body. A moment later, Claire did the same thing and Rexy snuffled at her. "{ _Good. Now, follow._ }"

The powerful dinosaur then used her arms to lift her body just enough to get her feet underneath her fully and stood up. After a few moments, Claire checked herself over and then did the same. Though much to her mortification she stumbled a bit into Rexy who grunted. "Um, sorry about that."

All Rexy did was give her a look that seemed both exasperated and amused in one. With another huff, the T-Rex began to walk. "{ _Good, you have much to learn my Tall Daughter. Now, follow me._ }" Not even a second later, she stopped and glared at Owen who was following. "{ _Not you, Swift-Hunter keeper. Only my Tall Daughter will follow me._ }"

Just as Owen was about to say something, Claire spoke up and his words died in his throat. "It's okay, Owen." She then turned her massive head best that she could and gave him what she figured was a comforting smile, not that anyone wants that many sharp teeth visible when the owner is looking at you. "I... need to do this, Owen. Please..." The former human then glanced at the massive T-Rex. "Besides, Rexy won't hurt me."

Chewing the inside of his cheek, Owen finally growled. "Fine..." Then he turned toward Rexy who watched him. "If she gets hurt or killed, I don't fucking care if your a big shit and I'll get fired, I'll make sure that you go down."

Rexy watched him for a few moments before she turned to Claire and bobbed her head slightly. "{ _Perhaps he is worthy of being your mate. Now, come and follow._ }"

With one last look from her, Claire followed Rexy into the jungle and left Owen behind. Then said man turned and kicked the wheel of the jeep. "Damn it..."

* * *

As the two Tyrannosaurs walked through the jungle, Claire kept glancing at Rexy who continually looked around. Finally, Claire cleared her throat and attracted Rexy's attention. "Thanks for... deciding to teach me."

Rexy stopped and turned to look at her and Claire got the impression that if she could have, Rexy would be raising one eyebrow and exasperated with her. "{ _You my Tall Daughter and now like me. Needs to learn how to rule over island._ }" After a moment, she shook her massive head. "{ _Not have any hatchlings of own anymore to teach..._ }"

There was a sadness there to Claire's surprise and she thought back to the files on Rexy. Her heart dropped a moment later as she remembered one report which Hammond didn't like to explain about. Mainly, in 1992, a year before the incident which saw the original park shut down, there was a baby Tyrannosaur moved into the pen with Rexy. About a month before the tour, there had been another massive storm that ripped through and the young Tyrannosaur disappeared during a flash flood. it was only after a few days that they found it's body floating in the enclosure's lake and the realization that it had drowned that they realized what happened. Due to that, Jurassic World had taken precautions and set up special drainage to prevent such accidents.

However, Claire had never once considered how that might have affected Rexy so now she walked up and nuzzled her like she had seen Blue do to her sisters. "Well... you got me to teach now."

Surprised, Rexy stared at her for a moment before she slowly nodded and nuzzled her back. "{ _Yes, and I will teach Tall Daughter all she needs to know._ }"

The tender moment was interrupted by a bellow and Claire looked around in some fear before she remembered that she was now a T-Rex. "What was that?"

With some amusement, Rexy shook her head. "{ _Fin-Lizards fighting over mates._ }"

Seeing the curiosity in Claire's eyes, Rexy motioned for her to follow and the two slowly walked to a section of the old road that wound along a hillside. Looking around, Claire spotted what looked like an old Jurassic Park sign and leaned down and blinked. 'The Dilophosaur Paddock...? But why...'

As she softly nudged her, Rexy gestured down an incline before she rumbled a bit softly. "{ _Down there, Tall Daughter._ }"

Claire turned and watched as two creatures bellowed at each other and sometimes lunged forward to try and bite the other. They had the bodies similar to massive monitor lizards with a large, bulky head. But what caught the transformed human's attention was the large sails on their back. As they ran toward each other and fought standing on their back legs as they wrestled, Claire remembered them from a book she had read many years before. "Dimetrodons? But... there were none listed as having been used in the park..."

Rumbling softly, Rexy snorted. "{ _Call them Fin-Lizards, have nest nearby._ }" With another snuffle, Rexy gently nudged her. "{ _Okay for eating, but too many bones and not enough meat. Used to be Spitters here, but they moved on._ }"

There was no need to tell Claire what a "Spitter" was as she was familiar with the nickname used among the old Jurassic Park files. As they moved away, Claire made note of the location and filed it away mentally. After all, from what she remembered from an old book, dimetrodons sounded a lot less dangerous to house by far then most predators. 'As for the Dilophosaurs... I wonder if Owen and myself could track them... They could be used maybe, though I'll take any suggestion of Owen's before I even consider it seriously...'

A moment later, Rexy took a sniff and grunted. "{ _Food, this way._ }"

Realizing what she meant, Claire felt her stomach turn for a moment before it began to rumble as she realized that she really was hungry. For a moment, she swallowed before she shook it off. 'You already considered needing this, Claire. You knew that you would need to hunt or... eat food raw.' Once more there was the strange sensation of her stomach churning as well as the feeling of hunger which gnawed at her. "Well... lead on I guess."

Both Tyrannosaurs moved swiftly along the overgrown road and not too long after reached a clearing where they stopped. Inside the clearing near a killed Maiasaurus was a group of predatory dinosaurs which Claire recognized right away. 'Herrerasaurus... so some of them have survived then...'

She felt a nudge and looked to the side to see Rexy watching her. "{ _Scare them off._ }"

For several seconds Claire stared at her before she turned to the hissing and growling Herrerasaurs. She then took a deep breath. "RAWR!"

There was complete and utter silence for several moments as even the smaller theropods stared at her. Closing her eyes and letting out a breath, Rexy shook her head. "{ _Try... again._ }"

Sheepish, Claire sucked in another breath but did not notice Rexy move behind her. Just as she was about to try again, she felt a sharp pain from the tip of her tail and let out a bone shaking roar of pain which caused the Herrerasaurs to jerk back before they turned tail and ran. Sure, against one T-Rex, they might attempt to fight. But two of them were too much. Not that Claire really noticed as she whipped around to see a unrepentant Rexy let go of the tip of her tail. "WHAT WAS THAT!"

All Rexy did was blink before she snorted. "{ _Having you give a true roar. Now remember how you roared and will need it to scare away others._ }"

With that, Rexy walked toward the carcass. For a brief moment, Claire considered not eating but then the smell of fresh meat hit her nose and she felt something deep inside wake up. Then she walked toward it as for some odd reason she felt hungrier then she had ever felt before. 'Well... you knew that you would need to eat. And from what Owen said, it doesn't taste too bad...'

* * *

Exhausted from a full day, Claire walked into the clearing as twilight turned into night. Much to her surprise there was an area scooped out and with ferns and other bits of plant life inside. Rexy walked up beside her and gave her a nudge. "{ _Come, time for sleep until light._ }" Seeing Claire look over the nest, she shook her massive head and glanced around. "{ _I teach you to make a nest tomorrow. Needs work and you can help._ }"

Claire blinked away some tiredness and frowned before she turned toward Rexy. "Just... surprised that you have a nest is all."

Feeling an itch, she rubbed up against a tree for a moment as Rexy gave a snort. "{ _Is good place to sleep for night. Nice and warm and comfortable._ }"

Just as she entered the nest, Rexy paused as Claire spoke up. "Rexy?" The other Tyrannosaur turned toward her to see Claire paw at the dirt. "... Do you like your paddock?"

For several moments Rexy paused before she turned and stared into Claire's eyes before she snorted. "{ _Is not all bad, has food, warmth. During storms can be under Hollow-Log out of rain... Would like different prey at times though. Or to hunt._ }" There was an amused look on her face. "{ _If you asking if I go back, I will. But not yet, I have much to teach._ }"

There was a thought that crossed Claire's mind which had her leading Rexy out of the jungle and back to her pen before she snorted in amusement. 'I wonder how many heart attacks that would cause... or views as I know Lowery would post that on YouTube.' After shaking the thought off, she walked up beside Rexy and slowly laid down. Much to her surprise, the ground was still warm from both the sun and the vegetation in the nest. it also was rather soft and comfortable. 'Not a real bed, but... not that bad.'

Amused, Rexy looked her 'Tall Daughter' before she spotted some dried blood on her. "{ _Hold still, Tall Daughter_.}"

Confused, Claire was about to ask what she was about to do when she felt a rough, wet warm something swipe itself across her neck. 'Is she...'

Rexy grunted a bit as she continued to clean Claire. "{ _Tall Daughter needs to be cleaner when eating._ }"

Even though she was embarrassed, Claire could not help but close her eyes in relaxation as she felt Rexy's tongue swipe across her neck and face. 'Huh... not as bad as I expected it would be... kind of relaxing...'

Not too long after, Rexy laid down beside her so that their bodies were touching each other. It didn't take much for Claire to start to doze. However, she woke up to the sound of something nearby and glanced first at Rexy who seemed to be deep asleep and then looked to the side to see Owen there which caused her to whisper. "Owen?"

Both of them winced as the whisper was anything but and looked at Rexy who continued to slumber. "Yeah... you okay, Claire? I heard you roar in pain earlier..."

Narrowing her eyes, Claire glared at him. "Have you been following me all this time?"

However, Owen just shrugged a bit. "I was worried about you and didn't want you to get hurt." Then he frowned a bit as he slid into the nest, keeping an eye on Rexy the whole time. "What happened?"

With a soft exhale, Claire moved her jaw a bit before she answered. "Rexy was teaching me to roar in order to scare off some predators from a kill... My first attempt didn't go well."

Owen snorted a bit as he guessed what happened. "Let me guess? You shouted out 'Rawr' instead of roaring, didn't you?"

Ignoring that, Claire continued. "So, she told me to try a second time and... um, bit my tail."

Now concerned, Owen walked along her length, part of him impressed that it came close to Rexy's own 43 feet, though Claire was slightly more slender. Eventually he reached the bite mark and inspected it. "Hmm... doesn't look too bad. Barely broke the skin by the looks of it, though it might bruise."

Sighing, Claire nodded. "That's good news."

As they continued to converse, neither of them noticed how Rexy had a slight golden line between her eyelids as she watched them. 'Hmph! Ignored my warnings, though he did so to check on potential mate. Perhaps could be good mate after all if so stubborn...' She then thought some more and her lips turned upwards a bit. 'Wonder what lies Tall Daughter will tell me in morning when I "Smell" him. Such horrible liars all my hatchlings are and need to learn to be better.' The eyelids slowly closed as she relaxed a bit more. 'Is nice to have warm body beside though... reminds me of Little One before waters came...'

Of course, neither Claire nor Owen noticed that the T-Rex beside them was only pretending to sleep.

* * *

Stirring, Claire opened her eyes to see a bird on her nose pecking around. A snort caused it to fly off and she felt the body pressed up against her shift as she just laid there enjoying the warmth. After a few seconds, Rexy raised her head up. "{ _Is light, time to get up._ }" Once they were up though, Rexy took a deep sniff and then turned to Claire who froze at the narrowed eyes. "{ _I smell one that you are courting, Swift-Hunter Keeper and he be around.}_ "

Claire's eyes glanced from side to side before she coughed. "You must be smelling the amulet, it has his scent all over it after all and he's worn it for weeks."

Walking up until their noses touched. Rexy stared at her which made Claire highly uncomfortable as she felt like she was a teen lying to her mother about having meet her boyfriend. Then Rexy snorted a bit. "{ _I see... very well then..._ }" The Tyrannosaur turned and pretended not to hear the small sigh of relief though Claire missed the amused look in Rexy's eyes because of it. 'All my hatchlings are such terrible liars...'

As they began to walk, Claire looked around at the early morning jungle. Here and there she saw various small animals including compys in the undergrowth watching as the two massive predators went by. "So what are we doing first?"

Having glanced at her, Rexy softly snorted. "{ _Do patrol of territory and make sure others know to avoid, including Swift-Hunters. Make sure that others not enter since last night._ }"

With a blink, Claire attempted to frown as she turned toward Rexy. "Swift-Hunters, you mean raptors?" Rexy just grunted in agreement which made Claire shake her head. "Blue and the others are back at Owen's though and stay there unless he's with them. I don't think that they'll visit in this area."

Suddenly, Rexy stopped and looked at her. "{ _No, different group of Swift-Hunters. One has line through eye._ }"

That bit of information caused Claire's eyes to widen a bit. 'Is she suggesting that there is another raptor pack on the island!? But all the raptors from the first pack were accounted for. The Big One's pack according to the reports were killed by Rexy...'

It didn't take long for Rexy to stop and glare at something on a nearby bluff. Confused, Claire turned and felt her eyes widen as there on top of the bluff out of reach was a group of raptors. Even though her eyesight was not the best, Claire could see the large scar along it's face. "{ _GET OUT OF OUR TERRITORY!_ }"

One of the raptors screeched back. "{ _IS OURS NOW, NOT YOURS, OLD ONE! GO BACK AND REST BRITTLE BONES SOMEWHERE ELSE!_ }"

Hearing the sucked in breath from Rexy, Claire realized that the old T-Rex had just been insulted and felt some rage bubble in her chest at the idea. With a glance, she spotted a log and narrowed her eyes before she bent down. Meanwhile, Rexy roared back. "{ _BRITTLE BONES!? **BRITTLE BONES?!** COME DOWN HERE, LIZARD-CLAWS AND STATE THAT!_ }"

Just as the same raptor was about to reply, it heard something and barely dodged out of the way of a log thrown it's way. A moment later, Claire shouted at it. "YOU WANT A PIECE OF US?!" Reaching back down, Claire grabbed and another log and with a twist of her head, threw it at the raptors who barely dodged. "WELL!? COME ON THEN!"

The group of raptors looked at each Tyrannosaur and then snarled. However, once they saw Claire pick up another log, they all scattered with screeches. After several moments, Claire started as she felt Rexy nuzzle her. Then the old Rex pulled away and gave her what could only be described as a proud look. "{ _Tall Daughter is quite clever, came up with way to defeat Swift-Hunters._ }"

Now that the fight had passed, Claire shuffled a bit. "It wasn't much..."

After several moments, Rexy snorted. "{ _Tall Daughter terrible liar..._ }" As she ignored the confusion on Claire's face, Rexy gave her a bob of the head. "{ _Come, show secret treasure to Tall Daughter._ }"

Curious, Claire followed Rexy through the jungle until they reached a spot which had several old park vehicles piled up. One by one, Rexy lifted them in her jaws and set them aside which left a boulder in front of what looked like an entrance. Then the old Tyrannosaur grunted as she moved her head and knocked it to the side to show a large tunnel. 'Wonder what's in there?' Looking inside, Claire spotted what looked like two raptor skeletons inside before they were covered as Rexy put her head into it. 'Were those...' Then Rexy pulled her head out and Claire stepped forward to see what was held in Rexy's lips with gentleness. "A hat?"

Rexy huffed before she set it down on boulder. "{ _Came from Old Dirt._ }" Seeing the confusion, she shook her head from side to side. "{ _One like you and your possible mate before you became like me and he became Swift-Hunter. Smelt of old dirt and bones. Worthy when hunted and had Old Smile's hatchling's hatchlings with him, protected them as if own. Found fake-head-crest and put here, is greatest treasure._ }"

It took a few moments for Claire to piece it together before she blinked as she recognized the hat from some old pictures. "Wait... is that Doctor Alan Grant's hat?"

The T-Rex's eyes lit up. "{ _Yes, is what others called Old Dirt._ }"

Confused, Claire leaned down and examined it closely. 'But how did it survive more then twenty years in the jungle...?'

* * *

Hearing a grunt, Ellie sighed as she looked to where Grant threw the remains of a hat. "Another one? Really?"

All the doctor did was glare at it before he huffed. "You know that I always go through hats, they never last except..." He grimaced before he growled. "The one that I took with me to Nublar, that one I had for years."

Letting out a sigh, Ellie shook her head as she held one hand across her face. "Really Alan? You're not going to go on about that again, are you?" At the glare, she rolled her eyes. "It was just a hat, Alan. Just like my husband's lucky shorts he wears sometimes are just shorts. Nothing supernatural about it."

With a growl, Alan gestured at her with one finger. "I'm telling you Ellie, that hat was something special. I got it from that shaman on the reserve we worked on back in '83 as a gift after I saved his grandson from those coyotes and lost the hat that I had at the time. He told me that it would always last and never fade nor wear and by God, it didn't. A full decade, Ellie! A _decade_ that hat lasted me when most can't a year!" Slowly, he shook his head and sank into a chair as he ran a hand through his thinning hair. "And I lost it on that damned island..."


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: Jurassic World is owned by Universal Pictures

" _Hello?_ " -Phone or radio.

"{ _Alpha!_ }" -Dinosaur language.

* * *

By noon, the temperature in the air had raised until even Rexy had decided it was best to retreat to the cool shade of the trees. The old Rex watched as Claire had walked into a waterfall and stood there with the water cascading over her body. Amused at the sounds that came from the other Tyrannosaur as they cooled off, the mist being more then enough for Rexy. " _Is good place then?_ "

Claire nodded as she shook some water from her body. "Mmm... I would say wonderful on a hot day like today." She glanced at the relaxed Rexy who had some birds on her that pecked away at her skin. Turning, Claire could see various other dinosaurs along the riverbanks in an attempt to cool off, some predators and others prey. But none broke the unspoken rule not to attack each other. "I never knew a place like this existed on Nublar... I wonder if there's one on Sorna...?"

Raising her head, Rexy tilted it a bit. " _Where is place?_ "

As she stepped out from the waterfall and into the river, Claire hummed as the water reached to her hips when she stood. "It's... Another island not too far away from the one we're on. There's other dinosaurs there including T-Rexes."

That caused Rexy to perk up a bit. " _Like us?_ "

With a nod, Claire lowered herself more into the river. "Like us, they've even got hatchlings over there."

Having realized what she had said, Claire glanced over at Rexy who just snorted in amusement. " _Not worried over hatchlings. No need now that Tall Daughter is like me._ "

Even though part of her was stunned at the declaration, another part of Claire was rather pleased. However, she did need to be truthful. "Thanks... But I'll be human sometimes and a Rex another."

Rexy just slowly blinked. " _And? Tall Daughter can be both, does not matter. Means that Tall Daughter can rule both._ " That caused Claire to blink at the simplistic thought. " _Is very simple._ " After several moments, Rexy glanced at Claire and huffed. " _What bothers you, Tall Daughter?_ "

Startled, the transformed human looked at her and then sighed as she walked out of the river and laid down beside Rexy. "You know how the park operates, right?"

With a slow blink, Rexy grunted. " _Not-Prey come and watch me and others. Old Smile said we make them feel small and to do so. That making them feel small makes them happy._ "

Giving a nod, Claire continued to watch the various dinosaurs on the riverbanks while she also ignored the dirt that now clung to her wet underside. "That's basically it. The park needs to attract people and they give us money. Money is very important to humans... or Not-Prey like you and others call them. But with the recent disaster..."

A growl came from Rexy's throat. " _The Usurper._ "

Despite the fact that when she had told her about her part in it's creation, Rexy had just scoffed and stated she was still young and that "Old Smile" was much the same. "Yes... the Indominus." Clearing her throat, Claire shook her head. "Well, we're going to reopen the park in about a year after everything is said and done. But one idea that was floated around was open some new exhibits, but we don't have any new species for new paddocks..."

For a few seconds, Rexy was silent before she looked down the river. " _Need new ones?_ "

Claire nodded with a sigh. "Yeah, and some of what you have shown me would be useful, but I'm not going to without you giving me permission to use that knowledge."

The older Rex turned and stared into Claire's eyes with her own golden ones. To Claire, it seemed as if the world held it's breath before it was broken by Rexy scoffing. " _Does not matter to me, Tall Daughter does not need to ask to Live Catch. If important, then I do not care. Will even help Tall Daughter if needed in her hunt._ "

Tension drained out of Claire as she had worried about it, though she was surprised at the offer to help. "Thank you..."

As the heat around them increased as the sun rose higher, Claire dozed off and didn't notice Rexy raise her head some. 'Tall Daughter is quite silly and sometimes stupid. Thinking that I mind her using what I teach to hunt. Silly hatchling...' Still amused, Rexy closed her own eyes and drifted off to sleep herself.

* * *

Zach walked into his brother's room and lay back on the head as downstairs the two could hear their mother aruging with someone over the phone. "I can't believe that they're at it _again._ "

With sad expression, Grey looked over from one of his few dinosaur books that he had managed to hide from his mother when she attempted to get rid of all his dinosaur stuff. His brother had helped distract her while he hid his favorite things in his room where their mother never found it. "I wish that we could talk with Aunt Claire..."

Grimacing, Zach shook his head. "Yeah, but mom would be hovering over our shoulder. Ugh, wasn't it enough that Aunt Claire risked her life for us?" Jumping to his feet, the teenager began to pace. "What about Uncle Owen? Not like mom would notice us giving him a call right now."

Slightly surprised, Grey looked at the laptop that the two shared and frowned. "I guess... mom will be busy for a while." As he grabbed the laptop and turned it on, Grey frowned a bit. "I wonder what Aunt Claire is doing right now..."

Chuckling, Zach kneeled down behind his brother as Grey began to connect the video chat. "She's on a sabbatical ordered by her boss, she's probably on the beach or something trying to relax..." 

* * *

A gasp escaped from Claire as her body slammed into the ground. She attempted to roll back to her feet but before she could, a massive taloned foot came down onto her ribs and pinned her. Not even a moment later, Rexy's jaws closed around her neck and held her there. The massive ivory fangs were pressing just enough into the skin to let Claire know that they were there, but not enough to really harm her. Several moments passed before Claire went limp and Rexy released her. " _Tall Daughter continues to improve her fighting. Not long before able to handle most smaller hunters._ "

Her chest heaving from exertion, Claire rolled back onto her belly as she shook her head. "N-not... good... enough. Need... to... be... better..."

Rexy just snorted and got up into her face with a small glare on her face. " _Enough, time to rest before we go on._ " Seeing the stubborn expression, Rexy's foot once more pushed Claire on her chest and sent her to her side where it pinned her. " _Tall Daughter needs to rest before going on._ "

Slumping, Claire just closed her eyes. "I just... want... to be... better."

As her eyes narrowed, Rexy leaned in. " _Why is Tall-Daughter pushing herself so hard?_

With a sigh, the transformed human laid against the ground. "The Indominus... I was too weak during it... could not help... I need to be stronger and able to fight something... like it. Almost got... my nephews killed..."

Highly amused, Rexy snorted. " _Tall-Daughter is being stupid. Tall-Daughter was small and did help, got me and brought me to where Ursuper was. Also got hatchlings out of the way to where safe._ " Seeing the shocked look, Rexy leaned in and nuzzled her. " _Tall-Daughter was plenty strong and fast. But too small to hurt Usruper._ "

Claire just grumbled a bit. "Blue and the others were also small compared to it and were able to fight it."

That just caused Rexy to let out a rumble that Claire recognized as her laugh. " _Blue one crazy, all Swift-Hunters are crazy and try fighting when they should lose._ " Then she shook her head. " _Still, Blue one able to hold own against Usurper, so not as bad as most Swift-Hunters. Respectful though excitable, like hatchling. Talks too much though and has bad mouth._ "

All Claire could do was stare at Rexy...

* * *

Stepping out onto the porch, Owen handed the bottle of beer to his guest who had come by to take care of his raptors. A bottle that Jess Harding accepted with little problem and popped it open with practiced ease using a knife. Taking a sip of his own drink, Owen glanced at the knife which Jess placed into a holster on her belt. "You know, in all the years that I've known you, I never did get the story of where you got that knife from."

Jess glanced at him before she looked at the knife. "When... they started to reclaim the island way back, I was one of those brought along with dad. Not that he was too happy over it and neither was Sarah, but it was my decision to do so. And being that I was both a qualified vet and knew my way around both dinosaurs and the island... it was a rather mute point."

With a glance, Owen knew what she meant. The knowledge that her and her father were two survivors of the original incident back in 1993 and had been on the island with rampaging dinosaurs for two days was common knowledge. "Okay, but that still does not explain the knife."

All Jess did was sip her beer for a moment, her eyes distant. "I was getting to that." With a sigh, she crossed her arms some. "I arrived a bit before dad did as he was held up by having caught the flu. Because of that, when the various ACU teams were chosen, I went with the one to the old geothermal power plant to see what could be salvageable... But I had other reasons to go. One was to make sure that the troodons were all dead, and we made sure of that fact as it turns out the little shits died to flame throwers as easily as anything else did. Good riddance."

Having read the reports, Owen had to shiver a bit. "Yeah... Sorkin was a real piece of work."

There was a bit of a of a forlornness that caught Owen off guard as Jess stared up at the sky. "Yeah... she was I guess. Not all bad though, there was some good..." For a moment, the memories of Sorkin having sent the tour car to pick them up, her telling them how to save Nina, her saving them from Rexy by using the tour car as a distraction flashed through her mind. "She was a complicated woman to say the least."

Unsure what to say to that, Owen decided not to say anything. "Okay, so you helped kill the troodons."

Rubbing at the butterfly tattoo on her ankle with her shoe, Jess nodded. "I had another mission though... His name was Oscar Morales." Owen stood a bit straighter as Jess pulled the knife out and twirled it in her hands, the light flashing from it. "He was one of the mercenaries that InGen sent to rescue us during the 1993 incident. All of us got trapped in the power plant by raptors, including one that he had already beaten off in hand to hand combat. The pack leader got a slice across the eye, scarring it and also driving it off... for a time."

Surprised, Owen choked a little. "Say what?!" At the raised eyebrow from Jess, Owen shook his head. "You have got to be shitting me there. There is no fucking way that a human beat a raptor in hand to hand combat and drove it off with it's tail between it's legs after having scarred one of it's eyes."

Jess giggled a bit as she sipped some more of her beer. "Actually, Oscar managed to kill one in pure hand to hand. He was that much of a badass... Kind of wish that he was here during the Indominus stuff, he probably could have prevented some deaths."

Disbelieving, Owen shook his head. "Bullshit, complete and utter bullshit."

All Jess did was chuckle and shake her head. "Believe it or not, it happened. I was there after all..." Her mood then turned somber. "But the raptors came back when we were trapped in the plant. We had fixed the issue that could have blown apart a decent chunk of the island, but we must have did something wrong as the plant went into lockdown with us in it, unable to escape. The only way to open the doors was to reach the controls... which were down on the same floor as the raptors and within sight."

Having guessed how this was going to end, Owen nodded. "He went down there to the panel, didn't he?"

Slowly, the vet nodded, her eyes looking at something in the distance. "He knew that he was heading to his death. He climbed down out of view of the raptors, even leaping across a chasm that had molten lava at the bottom. Then he snuck through the room right close to where the control panel was before the raptors spotted him, despite us trying to distract them. Oscar took on all three raptors when they attacked him and managed to hold them off for more then the minute he needed to get to the panel. That was when they finally got him..."

While he listened, Owen had to shake his head. 'Shit, he took on three raptors at once? Now I wish that I could have met him.'

However, Jess just continued her story. "They weren't out to eat him though, they were out for revenge. Anyone who says that the dinosaurs are just dumb animals don't understand, they're not. Those raptors... they wanted revenge for their dead packmate and for scarring their Alpha. First they ripped into his arm, disabling it even though he continued to crawl toward the panel. Then the Scarred One jammed it's sickle claw into his back, right here." Jess reached behind her and tapped part of her spinal cord just under her shoulders. "Probably paralyzed his legs... but that didn't stop Oscar, he shoved them off and dragged himself up onto the panel even as they ripped into his shoulder and neck... He managed to get the doors open and save us, even though he died... He died a long and drawn out death."

Part of Owen was now regretting asking as he reached across and squeezed her shoulder as he noticed a tear trickle down her cheek. "Hey... you don't need to say anymore. I'm sorry for asking."

To his surprise though, Jess just shook her head and wiped the tear away using the back of the hand that held the bottle. "Don't be, Oscar may have done some bad things, but he was a good man at the end... And telling his story is how I honor him and thank him for giving his life for us..." It took her nearly a minute of silence before she began. "Anyways... I went with the ACU to the power plant for one reason, to try and recover any remains of his that I could find so they could be buried... which turned out to be most of him." Seeing Owen's surprise, Jess shook her head. "The raptors wanted revenge, not food. They took some bites out of his corpse and then left... what was left mummified in the dry heat of the geothermal power plant."

Owen connected the dots pretty quickly. "That was where the knife you have was?"

Slowly, Jess nodded as she finished off her beer. "Yup, the dry heat had prevented it from rusting there. It was the same one he killed a raptor with and scarred the leader using. Some might say that I should have buried it with him, but... as I was examining it, the last troodon leapt from it's hiding place and attacked me. I just reacted by throwing the only thing that was on hand at the time... Oscar's knife, which buried itself in the troodon's heart, killing it..." As she examined it, Jess shook her head. "I took it as a sign of sorts that Oscar would continue to protect me through it. Maybe a bit silly, but..."

While he shrugged, Owen shook his head. "Maybe not. Especially as I heard you killed a pteranodon with it... Though I didn't hear what your dad did during the whole thing."

A snort escaped from Jess as she grinned. "My dad's getting too old for this shit..." At the look she got, Jess giggled. "Dad slept through the whole thing..." For several moments Owen stared and thought about commenting, but decided not to. Then Jess looked around them. "So... how's Claire doing? Rexy treating her well?"

Having picked up on a note of concern, Owen raised an eyebrow. "Claire is doing well and Rexy is taking care of her as well as teaching her... why do you ask?'

Shaking her head, Jess placed the bottle of beer to the side. "I have a past with Rexy, let's just say. Now if you excuse me, I need to go and bother Lowery some and rile him up..." It was all that Owen could do but shake his head at the soon to be certain annoyance the tech would feel. Just as Jess was about to leave though, she opened her window and called out to him. "By the way, if you decide to let anyone else try it, I hope that I'm close to the top of the list!"

With a roll of the eyes, Owen just grumbled as the vet drove off. "Yeah, and get Gerry after me? Yeah right..."

* * *

Claire was awoken by the sound of a thump next to her. Blinking, Claire opened her massive mouth in a yawn as the late afternoon sun glinted off her seven inch fangs before she turned to head to see Rexy. " _Tall-Daughter, brought food._ "

Still not fully awake, Claire turned to see the body of a hadrosaur next to her. At one point, she would have been queasy about what would happen next, but after five days in the jungle, very little bothered her anymore. Which was not to say that she will mind things going back to normal. At the moment though, she only had one comment as she swallowed a hunk of meat. "Could use some salt."

That caused Rexy to blink in confusion before she shook it off as just being one of those human things. As Claire continued to eat, Rexy considered her 'Tall-Daughter'. The old Rex could still remember when Old Smile brought her by her paddock. She could smell the fear that came off the small human, but she always returned and in time the fear was replaced with respect. Many of the humans she saw who didn't fear her would treat her as if she was either not there or something to ignore.

Never her Tall-Daughter.

In fact, her Tall-Daughter would often come by and sit by her as she began to settle in for the night. Claire would treat her as if she was her equal with respect, something that the old Rex highly appreciated and so she decided to adopt the small being as her own. It didn't hurt that the humans, outside of Claire and her head keeper, believed her so stupid that she would not understand them when they talked about her Tall-Daughter.

The very thought caused Rexy to snort in amusement which caused Claire to pause with a rib in her mouth which cracked and splintered under the force of her bite. After that, Claire swallowed a bit. "Something wrong?"

Rexy only shook her head with another snort, a movement that she had learned from watching Claire and others. " _No, had funny thought._ " Still not quite sure, Claire turned back to her meal as Rexy scanned the area and went back to her thoughts. From the various humans, she had learned that Claire was the head of the humans just like she was the head of the dinosaurs. She was proud of her Tall-Daughter.

Her thoughts then turned toward the fight just two months earlier. All day she could hear screaming and yelling as well as gunshots. One of the flyers stumbled into her pen carrying what she recognized as a human hatchling... a flyer that met it's end a moment later in her jaws with the human hatchling dropping to the ground and then scrambling for the nearby door. Rexy pretended to ignore as her head keeper got the hatchling out of the paddock as she continued to scan the skies.

Later, as the screaming and sounds continued, it only aggravated her as there was nothing she was able to do. She was supposed to be out there as this was _her_ island! Then came the roars and screaming of raptors. Soon after, she heard the sound that she had been waiting for, the door to her pen slowly opening. Rexy, once she reached the door recognized her Tall-Daughter being there as she lit the flare. The Rex could smell the fear, though she knew some was only directed at her. With a nod, her Tall-Daughter took off toward the roars and Rexy followed.

It was there that she met the Usurper. The massive white predator had challenged _her_. Old she may be by the counting of her species, but there was no way that she was going to let this whelp take her title without a fight. What insured brought up the old blood boiling in her chest once more. Part of her was annoyed that she was saved by a _Swift-Hunter_ , the Blue One, of all things. But she had underestimated the Usurper.

And she came to like the Blue One, as it turned out she had spirit and was respectful unlike many of the other Swift-Hunters she had met. Though she was crazy, in a good way in this case, and her language could be cleaned up a little. Still, Rexy was proud to call her an ally.

Weeks passed after she returned to the jungle and reclaimed her territory then one night she heard the sounds of another Rex on her island. That surprised her and she felt the old loneliness flare up so she journeyed to where she had heard the sound. Upon her arrival, she spotted the younger Rex sleeping as a human stood guard nearby, a human she recognized from the fight with the Usurper. So Rexy settled in for a wait in the woods nearby as, much to her amusement, the human didn't notice her though she was puzzled by why the new Rex smelt strongly of her Tall-Daughter.

Her big surprise was when the Rex woke up and began to speak in her Tall-Daughter's voice. One thought came to her mind and it enraged her to think that this Rex may have harmed _her_ hatchling. But as it turned out, the Rex was actually her Tall-Daughter. So she taught her what she needed to know.

Now, as she watched her Tall-Daughter feed on the carcass before her, Rexy could honestly say that she had never been happier or so proud...

* * *

Having been busy munching on some leaves, a goat suddenly stiffened and looked around. It had been driven out of it's herd, descended from escaped livestock from the original park, by a rival and come down to the low lands of the island for food. The goat knew the area was dangerous, but hunger had driven it. After some time though, it went back to eating as it felt the danger had passed. Hearing the foliage move, it turned just in time to meet a mouth full of teeth, some being seven inches long.

A few moments later, Claire felt the goat's bones snap and shatter in her jaws as her mouth filled with warm blood. Following her instincts, Claire tilted her head back and began to swallow the mangled remains. Once that was done and the last of the goat had been swallowed, she turned toward Rexy who nodded. " _Very good, Tall-Daughter! You hunted Stub-Horn well and made a good kill._ "

Despite herself, Claire felt her lips turn slightly up into a smile. "Thank you." With a soft grunt, she looked toward the darkening sky and sighed. "I guess tomorrow I'll be back to normal... Or as much normal will be since I'll be able to become a Tyrannosaurus..."

Rexy tilted her head to the side some as they slowly walked back to the nest. " _Tall-Daughter will be Not-Prey again?_ "

The transformed human could hear a tone of melancholy in the old dinosaur's voice as well as some loneliness. Stopping for a moment, she turned and gently nuzzled Rexy. "Hey." Claire waited until Rexy had turned toward her before she continued. "I'll visit as much as I can. Besides... After you're back in the park, I can go into your paddock."

For several moments, Rexy was silent before she nodded her head. " _Have no problem. Would like for that and Tall-Daughter should not worry, would not hurt her._ "

All Claire did was shake her head as she game a small smile best she could. "I know that now..." While they walked back toward where their nest was. Several minutes passed before Claire cleared her throat. "So... I was wondering something..." Having caught Rexy's attention, Claire continued. "If there was anything that you might want besides different prey and being able to hunt in your paddock, what would it be?"

That caused Rexy to become thoughtful before she grunted. " _Bones, big bones._ "

Slightly confused, Claire blinked. "Why would you want big bones in your paddock for?"

Turning, Rexy gave her a confused look herself. " _Like chewing bones, makes mouth feel better and not needing Prick-One to use hard grass on teeth._ "

It took Claire a few moments to piece it together. 'I remember now, under Doctor Harding we allocate some of the budget to buy bones for the smaller predators to chew. He said it breaks up the plaque on their teeth like with dogs. But who is "Prick-One"?'

When she asked, Rexy grumbled. " _Prick-One is old Not-Prey. Likes to use pricky things on me. Also feeds Stub-Horns that taste weird and make sleepy. Don't like him._ " A shudder came over Rexy as she looked around. " _Tall-Daughter should be weary of Prick-One, even though she talks with him._ "

Much to Rexy's annoyance, Claire started to laugh after a few moments as she put it together. "You call Doctor Gerry Harding 'Prick-One'!?"

Huffing, Rexy nodded. " _Is what Not-Prey call him._ "

That only caused Claire to laugh all the harder.

* * *

Slowly, Claire woke up as the dawn chorus started up and the earliest rays of dawn began to poke through the trees. A moment later, she realized that she was rather chilly despite the large and warm body next to her. That of course caused Claire to wake up and she blinked as her fingers slowly curled into fists. "I'm... human again?" Putting her hands under her, she got to her feet and looked around as she rubbed her bare arms with a grimace. 'Maybe I shouldn't have worn that cut off tank top and shorts... But I didn't want to dirty any good clothes.'

A warm puff of air caused her to turn where she saw Rexy watching her, the Tyrannosaur's snout inches from her face as Rexy examined her. " _I see that you became Not-Prey again..._ "

Hearing the slight sound of wistfulness, Claire took off the amulet and held it out. "Would you mind... holding this for a moment?" Puzzled, Rexy gently took it by the chain in her mouth. Claire then closed her eyes as she did what Owen had told her to and felt herself change and opened her eyes to find herself a Rex once more. "See? I told you that I would not need it anymore."

For several moments, Rexy examined her before the large dinosaur nodded. " _Good, is better._ "

With a smile, Claire closed her eyes and reversed her change. Once she opened her eyes, she stepped forward, not in the least bit afraid of Rexy anymore. "There are benefits to being human though." At the interested expression, Claire reached up and gently scratched the underside of Rexy's jaw. Something that pleased Rexy if the expression on her face was anything to go by. After a little bit, Claire looked around and huffed a bit as she slipped the amulet back on around her neck. "Now to figure out how to get to where Owen is waiting for me..."

Thoughtful, Rexy looked around. 'Tall-Daughter would be in danger as Not-Prey unless...' Laying back down, the Rex huffed at her. " _Not mind if you be like Blue One._ "

Confused, Claire looked at her strangely. "What do you mean?"

Rexy just huffed and gestured toward her shoulders with her head. " _Be like Blue One, I carry you._ " Her eyes then narrowed. " _None will threaten you, Tall-Daughter as long as I am with you._ "

Slowly, Claire walked forward and, as told, got onto Rexy's shoulders and settled herself in place. 'Different from the horse farm Uncle Jack has... but not too different.' Taking a breath, she let it out. "Okay, I'm ready."

As she grunted, Rexy stood up to her full height as Claire hung on. Once she was sure that Claire had not fallen off, Rexy began to walk back to where she had found Claire. " _Courter might be waiting._ "

Letting out her breath, Claire could only nod as she looked around before she turned her attention back to Rexy. Even though she did not feel nearly as much as she did as a Rex, there was a definite sense of power. Claire could feel the strength of the muscles under her as they shifted and moved with each effortless movement. 'I wonder what Zach and Grey would say if they could see me now...' 

* * *

Barry leaned against the jeep as Owen scanned the jungle around them. "Are you sure that Claire is coming here or..."

His jaw muscles working for a moment, Owen turned toward him. "Claire will be here."

Running his hand through his hair, Barry shook his head. "Just saying, Owen. She's been out there for how long now? And with Rexy?"

As he relaxed, Owen chuckled a bit. "Oh, she's doing just fine... see for yourself."

Having followed Owen's gaze, Barry froze at the sight of Claire coming into sight riding Rexy. "... What the hell?" He then turned toward a grinning Owen. "Your girlfriend is as nuts as you are..."

While he walked toward where Claire was climbing off of Rexy, Owen glanced back at him. "And I would not have her any other way." After he stopped a respectable distance from Rexy, Owen waited for Claire to walk over to him and gave her a hug. "It's good to see you again."

Claire let out a hum as she hugged him back. "And it's good to see you again, Owen." Turning, she smiled at the Rexy and walked over so that she could place her palm on the T-Rex's nose. "And thank you for taking care of me."

All Rexy did was huff before she turned her stern gaze onto Owen. " _Take care of my Tall-Daughter. If she gets hurt, then I hurt **you**._ "

With those words, Rexy turned and walked back into the jungle as Owen shook his head. "Well... I should have expected that."

Letting out a small laugh, Claire shook her head. "Yes... you should have." She then took a sniff of herself and grimaced. "Anyways... I cannot wait for a nice shower..."

Slowly nodding, Owen looked her over and frowned a bit. "Claire? Have you been hitting the gym lately?"

That caused Claire to look at him in confusion. "Not anymore then I have usually... why?" Following his eyes, Claire blinked as she saw what he meant. While she may have been on a diet, Claire took care of her body. That meant that she had some definition, but not much. Now, she could see quite a bit of definition of her muscles under her skin which caused her to frown. Just to make sure, Claire gently ran one finger along her stomach. 'That's... odd...'


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: Jurassic World is owned by Universal Pictures

" _Hello?_ " -Phone or radio.

"{ _Alpha!_ }" -Dinosaur language.

* * *

Claire raised an eyebrow as she watched her two nephews on the video chat, Zach looking rather annoyed. "Where's Karen?"

If anything, Zach seemed to become more annoyed then he had been moments before. "Had to go out."

All Claire did was sigh and rub the side of her head before she reached for her mug of coffee. "I see..." Nonetheless, she chatted with her nephews much like she had almost every Thursday before she paused. "Zach, Grey... could I ask a question of you both..."

Frowning, Grey shared a look with his older brother before he shrugged. "Um, sure Aunt Claire. What is it?"

Still with that thoughtful expression, Claire leaned forward a bit. "What suggestions would you have for the park? Just out of curiosity."

The two brothers knew exactly why she was asking that then, as the last time Claire had asked their mother was there. To say it didn't go well was an understatement. After a moment, Zach shrugged. "Maybe do something with the raptors? I mean, they are pretty cool... Like a race track!" Slowly he grinned as he nodded. "Yeah, have the raptors racing around on a track would be _awesome!_ "

Beside him, Grey nodded his head in excitement. "And you could have obstacles for them as well! And with a fence and stuff, you could have people watching from close up."

Tapping one finger against her chin, Claire nodded. "They are the most asked about dinosaur in the park next to Rexy... And with the positive image they got from the YouTube video of them defending Owen from the Indominus, it's doable... Anything else?"

Grey looked toward his brother for a moment before the younger boy scratched the back of his head. "Um... Maybe something at the terminal? No offence Aunt Claire, but it was boring waiting for the monorail."

While Claire blinked, Zach just nodded. "Yeah, all you got there was a Starbucks and a gift shop. Nothing else."

Leaning forward, their aunt placed a finger lengthwise against her lips. "And what would you suggest be put there?" Meanwhile, her mind was racing. 'And since there's a Starbucks there, I might be able to pull them as a sponsor...'

While he shrugged, Zach glanced at his brother. "I don't know, maybe some small dinosaur or something?"

Now with a frown, Claire shook her head. "We don't really have any as the Compsognathus was not too popular as an attraction and..." Suddenly, she paused as a thought occurred to her. " _Unless_ , we don't go with just one small exhibit, but a few... A 'Small World' exhibit of sorts..."

* * *

Owen entered the room to find Claire on the bed with her laptop open as she scanned the screen. Gently, he sat down beside her and moved her hair out of the way before he kissed her shoulder. "I thought that we agreed no work after eight."

Tilting her head to the side to give him some more access, Claire hummed with a smile on her face. "We did... But Zach and Grey gave me some suggestions and I just had to look up some information..."

With one raised eyebrow, Owen nuzzled her as she told him about the idea. "Okay... Kind of interesting..." He grinned a little. "So what does this have to do with what is on the screen?"

As she shot him a look, Claire tapped the screen of the laptop. "We tried to make an exhibit for the Compsognathus, but it didn't attract the attention we thought it would. Afterwards, any animal under a certain size was declared not to be used. But, Grey and Zach came up with an idea that could make it work. And we already have one creature that could fit there."

That caused Owen to raise an eyebrow. "Oh?"

Chuckling, Claire turned to face him. "The Beelzebufo can be used after we've captured a few. After that, we have some of the others here as well which might be useful. We can place some various species of Placodonts together in a tank because they're so small. Another tank could hold some Lariosaurus as well. Then, you have these..."

While he shook his head, Owen leaned in and blinked. "Huh... I didn't know that we had Microraptor in the database... However..." Suddenly, he smirked as he reached out and closed the laptop. Any argument from Claire died as he scrapped his teeth against the crook of her neck with a growl not unlike his raptors. "I think that is quite enough work related activities for the night, Miss Dearing..."

Placing the laptop onto the side table, Claire turned toward him with her teeth showing as a deep rumble escaped her. "Perhaps you're right, Mr. Grady..."

* * *

The shadow silently stalked into the bedroom where both Owen and Claire slept and creeped up to the bed. After a few moments, the creature raised it's head over the edge of the bed and looked at the two humans laying on the bed. Not even a moment later, the moon broke out from some clouds to illuminate Blue as she blinked in the darkness. 'Is good, Alpha and Alpha's Mate asleep...' She sniffed a bit and looked at the empty bottle. 'Drank wierd smelling water too, won't wake up then... Now where is metal thing...'

It took several moments for the raptor to find said amulet and to pop off the cork at the top using her lips. Then slowly, she walked up to Owen only to stop as he snorted. "Mmm.."

Waiting until he settled back into deep sleep, Blue snuck up to where his arm hung off the bed and brought out her claw toward it. At the last moment, she stopped as she considered what she was about to do. 'Should I hurt Alpha? Using claw to make bleed would hurt...' Blue then shook her head. 'Stupid Alpha get hurt all time, won't notice.'

Reaching out, she made a small slice on the top of Owen's hands which made the human grumble in his sleep. "Dammit, Claire... stop biting and clawing..."

All Blue did was tilt her head some before she shook it off. Holding the amulet in her claws, she brought it down to Owen's fingers where some blood dripped off and into the opening. The whole time she kept an eye on her trainer to made sure that he would not wake up as she knew, somehow, he would not be pleased with what she was trying. Soon though, she pulled it away and gently licked at the cut to stop the bleeding. Once that was done, Blue used her lips to put the cork back in and watched as Owen wiped his hand in his sleep.

Then Claire's cellphone went off which caused the raptor to bolt and get out of the room just in time for both humans to wake with a start. "What the..."

While Owen turned on the lamp, Claire grabbed her phone and looked at the number before she answered it with a deep growl which reminded Lowery of nothing more then Rexy when pisssed. "This better be good, Lowery, it's..." She looked at the time. "Three in the morning on my and Owen's anniversary... If not, I am burning your dinosaurs."

On the other end of the phone, Lowery let out a soft hiss. "Ouch, boss. Isn't that too cruel and unusual?" Another growl answered him which caused him to clear his throat. "Right, right... anyways, we need you down at Control, we got a bit of a... situation here."

Almost magically, Claire's sleepiness vanished as she sat up. "A situation, what kind of one?"

Lowery's next words caused her to scramble out of bed and was soon followed by Owen who called Barry to come and watch the raptors. "It's about the tremor the seismometers have detected..."

* * *

Walking into the control room, Claire turned toward where Lowery's station was as he talked with someome, Owen right behind her. "What's going on Lowery? I thought that the geologists said that we weren't in danger from the recent tremor a few days ago?"

After he twirled around, Lowery put his hands behind his head. "Yeah, well... turns out that there was an issue..."

He then gestured toward one of the ACU members who was talking into a headset. Said man then turned and nodded at both Claire and Owen. "About an hour ago we detected a distress call about fifteen miles north of the island about a boat in trouble. We sent out the chopper to help and when they got close, they reported smoke and the sounds of explosions... At first, we thought that it was the boat itself, but while it was damaged, we got everyone off before it sank as well as some... assets, they had on board."

Both Claire and Owen narrowed their eyes as they realized it was one of the poaching boats that often tried to grab animals and animal parts from either the Five Deaths or Nublar's restricted zone. Tightening her grasp on the railing, Claire let out a breath. "Are they being placed into our detention center until the authorities arrive?" The ACU officer nodded which caused her to grin. "Good... so then, what caused the smoke and explosions?"

With a slight smirk, Lowery coughed a bit. "Well... I got someone on the line right now... bringing them up on screen." A woman in her forties came up and smiled a bit. "May I introduce Doctor Anna McDonald of the USGS in Costa Rica."

The woman nodded. "Thank you. Miss Dearing? I'm sorry about waking you, but the situation means that you needed to be briefed." Slowly, Claire nodded as she felt Owen's hand squeeze her shoulder. "The smoke is actually an ash cloud. It seems that one of the seamounts north of Nublar is erupting and beginning to break the surface to form a new island. The tremor last week was just the largest one and likely signaled the start of the new eruption on the north Nublar Bank."

Her teeth grinding, Claire narrowed her eyes. "There were more? Why was I not informed of this?"

Folding her hands in front of her, Anna sighed. "You're on a tectonic zone of which Nublar and the Muertes Archipelago are part of. Small tremors are relatively common and Sibo itself showed no activity thus Nublar was not considered in danger. And the last time we had any submarine eruptions was in the same place around 2001 and we thought it was a burp of sorts. However, from what my team can gather, you are likely in no danger at all from the eruption itself. At worst, you might have the smell of sulfur drifting around or a light dusting of ash if the winds shift."

Claire narrowed her eyes some. "But you can't be sure. You didn't even know there was an eruption!"

As she let out a breath, the doctor shook her head. "Actually, we can. We do have data on Nublar's own volcanic activity including the eruption back in 1951. By far the most common eruption in the area is Strombolian, though due to the contact with the water the eruption in this case is Surtseyan and will continue to be so until the island has built itself up enough for no more water to come in contact with the magma. In neither case will the park be in danger. And with the park currently closed, there's no possibility of tourists getting hurt... though if it's still going on by the time the park is to be reopened, you might have a new attraction by having them view the eruption from a safe distance."

Rubbing her face, Claire held back a groan. "Please make sure and keep us informed. Meantime, I need to consult with my superiors about this..." A sigh escaped from her mouth. 'Just one thing after another... and I can already tell this is going to be a long day...'

* * *

Finally getting out of a meeting between the various trainers and handlers that hashed out how to handle the newest situation, all Owen wanted to do was go home and sleep. Before he could though, the raptor trainer had one last stop. Entering the office, he noted Claire face down on her desk as she dozed. The second and third things he saw caused him to curse under his breath. "Dammit, Claire..." One was a new picture frame which contained a photo of Zara in her wedding dress which had been taken after she had a ceremony for just the Jurassic World staff to be in. Just below it was a file folder. Even though he wished otherwise, Owen knew exactly what was in it. As he walked up, he saw the face of a five year old boy smiling up at the camera along with a name. There were other photos and papers with names that had been burned into his mind.

Each name and picture being that of one of those killed during the recent disaster.

Running a hand brough his hair, Owen let out a hiss. "Fucking hell, Claire. We talked about this, you need to stop torturing yourself like this."

He was startled when Claire spoke up. "We did and I will, Owen. I need to remember exactly what the price of me fucking up is so there isn't a next time..." Reaching out, she took the picture of the five year old and stared at it. "His name was Will and he was five years old, Owen. _Five years old._ He had his whole life ahead of him and he wanted to be a fireman... All that ended by a _damn pteranodon_. And it only happened because I screwed up."

The slam as Owen brought his hands down on her desk caused her to jump a bit as he snarled. "It wasn't all your fault, dammit! Simon and the Board should have never have ordered the creation of the Indominus! Vic and fucking InGen should not have hijacked it to use the damn thing as a test bed for their fucking idiotic idea of military dinosaurs! And _Wu_ should have never gone along with it! You share very little if any blame! If you had tried to stop it, then they would have had someone else do it."

Sadly, Owen could see that Claire still wouldn't accept it. "I would love to be able to believe that, Owen. But I can't." Her finger then came up and pointed at the picture frame. "You can't say that I'm not at fault for Zara. Because I was the one who shoved my nephews off onto her, she was running around and... She had just gotten _married_ and was planning to start a family after her second ceremony back in England. Now Zara can't and her husband is a widower because of me..."

One could call it cowardice, and Owen would agree, but he decided to drop it. After all he had his own guilt and understood what Claire was going through. From an argument, he found out that there were only two real things keeping Claire together. One was, much to the amazement of Owen, himself and their slowly growing relationship. The other was the rebuilding and running of the park.

Part of him feared what might happen if they closed the park. That was also why he knew that the issue with the eruption possibly causing that was what opened up the can of worms once more that he had thought was sealed for good. A glance at the clock caused him to grimace a bit as he walked around the desk and helped her up. "Come on, it's midnight and we've been up nearly twenty-four hours. We need some sleep."

Tiredly nodded, Claire just placed the folder back into her desk before she let herself be brought to her feet. "Sleep... sounds rather good right about now..."

As they walked out, Owen decided to change the subject and sate his curiosity. "So... while I was busy, how were your meetings?"

With a snort as they walked through the control room, Claire glanced at the screen which showed the eruption from an airplane. "Long and arduous... Mostly it was about how dangerous this eruption might be, the need to update the seismic sensor map of the island just in case, and the USGS breathing down my neck to let a team use the park as a base from which to observe the eruption."

Stopping, Owen turned and stared at her. "You did tell them that the park is restricted to park personnel, Masrani employees. and VIPs, right?" At her sigh, he turned and looked at her directly. " _Right?_ "

Rubbing her face, Claire nodded. "I did tell them that, but that was when they told me that they were lifting those restrictions, partially so that the USGS can come to the island. The other part comes from how a number of park personnel and their families have been pushing for visitation to be allowed on the island. Apparently, Masrani believes it safe enough at this stage of the clean up to allow for it." When Owen cursed, another sigh escaped her. "My thoughts exactly. Owen, I'm sorry but... if I tried to come up with excuses as to why it's not safe enough..."

Owen finished the thought. "They would be questioning what exactly we have been doing these past two months and might wonder about if they should continue to put money into it... dammit." Looking at the ceiling, he just shook his head. "Let's just get home and sleep. I'm too tired for this shit right now..."

Slowly, Claire nodded beside him. "As am I..."

* * *

Having gotten home, Owen yawned as him and Claire staggered in. With a sigh, he looked toward where Barry was at the table. "How were the girls today?"

With a smile, Barry chuckled a bit. "They were perfect as always, though Blue was acting a little bit odd today."

That caused Owen to raise an eyebrow and he glanced into the raptor's room to see Blue wrapped up in a blanket enough to hide most of her from sight. "I can see... what did she do?"

Slightly confused, Barry shrugged. "Mostly decided to play hide and seek with a lot of hiding and little seeking. She didn't go too far, but seemed to be sticking to the bushes and eating anything she could catch, so..."

His mind so sleepy that it was not quite running fully, Owen could only blink. "Odd... though she seems okay. I'll..." A yawn broke his sentence up and he shook his head. "I'll ask her in the morning... anyways, I'll see you tomorrow."

All Barry did was nod before he headed out to head home and catch some sleep himself, none of the three humans noticing as Blue's body began to twitch a bit as she had dreams of herself as a human.

* * *

The room slowly lightened as the sun rose above the horizon while the dawn chorus could be heard drifting in through the open window. All was quiet except for the sounds of the two people in the bed sleeping peacefully. However, the silence was soon to be broken as the door to the bedroom slowly creaked open and the patter of bare feet entered the room along with a shadow. Almost silent, the shadow walked up to the bed and leaned toward Owen. "Alpha?" When it got no response, it leaned in more and nuzzled him. "Alpha?"

Owen only grumbled some and pushed the face away as he turned away. "Go away, too early..."

Huffing a bit, the shadow stood up before crouching. Then she jumped onto the bed with a screech. "STUPID ALPHA WAKE UP!"

Both Owen and Claire yelped and woke with a start to see a 17 year old girl bouncing on their bed. "Wha... I, huh!?"

The girl glared at them and crossed her arms. "Stupid Alpha and Alpha's Mate need to wake up, I'm hungry."

Silence stretched out before Claire narrowed her eyes at the girl. "How do you know Owen?"

Annoyed, the girl glared at her, which caused Claire to notice something else. "Alpha raised me and sisters from young."

Claire took a deep breath before she slowly let it out and turned to give Owen an annoyed look. "Owen... you got about a minute to explain why we have a naked teenaged girl bouncing on her bed apparently saying that you raised her and her sisters... would you mind explaining?"

However, Owen wasn't really listening as he frowned as something about the girl was awfully familiar. Bit by bit, he took in her face. Part of the raptor trainer noted her greyish-blue hair then came the blue tattoos that were under each eye and one across the bottom of her neck. But what gave it away was the eyes...

The two golden eyes with slitted pupils which watched him in the same as only one other being ever did. It was then that he spotted the familiar amulet that hung from her neck which caused everything to click. Slowly, Owen blinked and stared at her. "... Blue?!"

Now it was Claire's turn to stare for a moment as the teen chirped. "Alpha finally realize who I am! About time!"

Rubbing the side of her face, Claire only groaned. "Great... this is all I need..." She then shoved Owen out of bed and glared at him. "You go get some coffee and breakfast started. I'll..." Claire glanced at Blue who watched her curiously. "I'll go and find some clothes for her..."

With a glare of her own, Blue snorted. "I not wear False-Skin like Not-Prey! Right, Alpha?" Having spotted the look in Claire's eyes, Owen however had booted it out of the room after grabbing some pants from where he had put them, cursing as he left. "... Alpha?"

It was then that Blue saw the expression on Claire's face and the look in her eyes before she shivered and considered that her little plan might not have been as thought out as she had believed...

* * *

Growling, Blue picked at the shirt on her as Owen poured some coffee into mugs for him and Claire. "Don't like this, feels odd against skin... itchy."

Claire walked by at the moment and gently smacked Blue's hand. "You picking at it is not helping any." With a sigh, she gratefully took the mug from Owen and looked at Blue. "So... you cut Owen's hand the other day while we were asleep and put the blood in the amulet... because you overheard us talking about how we can now become a raptor and a T-Rex..."

All Blue did was nod as she looked to where Owen was cooking up some food. "Yes, wanted to know what being Not-Prey is like because Alpha not True-Hunter often. Likes being Not-Prey so wonder."

While he closed his eyes, Owen groaned a bit. "Great... just great..." He then walked over the the fridge and poured some juice into a cup and put it in front of Blue. "Here, you look thirsty."

There was a look on Blue's face as she sniffed it and scowled. "This is Tree-sweet juice!"

However, Owen only rolled his eyes. "Yes, and humans drink that."

Pulling the cup toward her with narrowed eyes, Blue leaned down and was about to lap at it when Claire stopped her. "Not-Prey... er, humans don't drink like that, Blue." A glance at Owen had him nod and she cleared her throat as she sat down beside her.. "Eyes on me, Blue. Watched what I do and copy."

The entirety of Blue's attention was on Claire as the woman raised her mug in both hands before the transformed raptor did the same. Then she copied Claire perfectly and took a sip before her eyes widened. Owen began to worry some as she sat there silently with a stunned look. "Blue? Blue? Is something wrong?"

A moment later, Blue drained the whole cup and breathed hard as soon as she was done. "IS GOOD! SWEET AND YUMMY!"

Chuckling, Owen sat a plate of food in front of her which included some pancakes and syrup. After that, he refilled her cup. "Well, if you thought that was good..."

Blue watched both Owen and Claire as they cut into their meals and copied them. However, as soon as the food was in her mouth, all attempts to go slow were gone as she began to shovel the food into her mouth. Watching this, Claire snorted a bit. "Well, if people did not think that she was your daughter from the way she acts around you, her eating habits would make people really wonder..."

Partway through shovelling a fork full of food into his mouth, Owen paused. "What do you mean by that?"

With a smile, Claire only shook her head and took a bite of her breakfast. "Oh, nothing really..."

Having narrowed eyes, Owen watched her before he grunted and went back to eating just as fast as Blue, though said raptor had a expression part rapturous and part crazed.

Several minutes later as she watched as Blue licked her fingers clean, Claire leaned back with a thoughtful expression as she could see the amulet just under the baggy (and now food strained) shirt. Thankfully it was Owen's and not one of her own. "So... the amulet is able to let dinosaurs become humans as well..."

As he sighed and rubbed the side of his head, Owen fought the slowly rising headache. "This is all I need..." He watched as Blue burped some and glanced around the kitchen. "I'll admit though, I did not expect the tattoos on her... Though they are in the right spots for her natural markings."

There was a frown on Claire's face as she ran one finger along the rim of her mug in thought. "That's true and a bit odd... but..." With a deepening frown, she looked toward Owen. "You said that you had pictures of us stored somewhere?"

Owen raised an eyebrow but nodded. "Give me a moment..." About two minutes later, Owen returned with what looked like the biggest laptop that Claire had seen which he set down onto the table. "Here we go."

For a few moments, Claire boggled at it. "That's your laptop?"

Slowly laughing, Owen opened and booted it up. "Yeah, I asked some old military buddies of mine to send me one of the old laptops from the base after wiping them. It's rugged and can take a real beating and still work. Also cut off all external connections to it, so it's not hooked up to Jurassic World's ethernet or to the internet." Having seen the curious look on his girlfriend's face, Owen scowled. "Didn't want to chance Hoskins getting any of my real research. Caught someone hacking into one of my normal computers, so I couldn't chance it."

A scowl was also on Claire's face as she thought back to the now deceased head of security. "And knowing you, there's likely a lot of encryption on it..."

The only reply she got was for him to smirk at her before he gave a glare at Blue. "Put that down!"

For a moment, Blue glared at him before she licked the soap bottle. Much to Claire's amusement, Blue sputtered and spat as she shook her head. "GAH! BAD FUCKING SHITTY TASTE!"

Her tone dry, the red head smirked. "Definitely the daughter of a Navy man..."

Shaking his head, Owen just brought up the pictures that he had on it of him and Claire in their dinosaur forms. "So, any reason why you wanted to see these?"

Silent, Claire reached out and compared the two photos before she pointed at spots on them. "Look here and here."

Now curious about what she saw, Owen leaned in and frowned a bit. "The coloration?"

Claire looked at him and rolled her eyes. "Yes, look at where the coloration is and what it is." With one finger on the screen, Claire moved it along the head of her Tyrannosaur self before she reached up with her free hand and traced her hairline. "Right there, it's the same color as my hair and is in the same shape, just altered to skin tones and for the head of a Tyrannosaurus Rex. Now look at you as a Raptor."

It took him only a moment to realize what she meant. "That area on my head is the same shape as my hair line and same color as my hair... and look, there's dots on my jaw that resemble the shape of my stubble. I can even see some of my scars..." Humming, he rubbed his chin in thought. "So... anything like color or patterns on us or the dinosaurs will stay but change to their closest equivalent. Like how Blue's color is now present in her hair except for her markings that have become like tattoos..."

A crash caused them to turn and spot Blue near the open door of the fridge with several items on the floor. Blue watched them for a few seconds before she grabbed a container of yoghurt and opened it. "Mine!"

Groaning, Owen facepalmed as she attempted to shove her whole face into the container and squealed. "Oh God... this is worse then when she was a hatchling..."

Highly amused, Claire patted him on the shoulder. "Welcome to having a teen, _Raptor Mom_..." Owen's glare only caused her to laugh as she walked over to the coffee maker.


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: Jurassic World is owned by Universal Pictures

" _Hello?_ " -Phone or radio.

"{ _Alpha!_ }" -Dinosaur language.

* * *

Another groan came from Blue as she spat out some bile into the toilet before Claire pressed the lever to flush it. "Feel better?"

Slowly, Blue nodded as she leaned against Claire. "Yes..." Not even a moment later, a cup was held out to her and she blinked. "What's this...?"

With a soft smile, Claire shook her head. "You swish it around in your mouth to get the taste of the vomit out." Seeing the confusion, she took some sips and demonstrated. "See? Like that."

Unsure, Blue copied her until the cup of empty. Still with a grimace on her face, she spat a bit. "Why do Not-Prey do such disgusting thing! Ugh.."

Rubbing her back, Claire remembered back to briefing on Raptors. "Well... Raptors puke as well, it's just really rare they need to and, in your case, you never had to." A small laugh then escaped her. "And as you can see, the human sense of taste is not great for everything." Then Blue's eyes crossed as Claire tapped the tip of her nose. "Also, it's humans, not Not-Prey. You'll get some looks if you forget that."

Blue gave her a confused glance before leaning toward the mirror with an interested look at her reflection before she opened her mouth. Much to Claire's amusement, Blue ran her tongue along her teeth. "Looks weird as Not... human." Reaching up, she flicked at her hair and held it between her fingers as she had seen Claire do with her own a number of times. "Feels strange, Tickly-Stuff. Feels... soft. Different from Alpha's, he has it all over."

There was a fond smile on Claire's face as she stepped behind Blue and placed her hands on the transformed Raptor's shoulders. With her own fingers, she rubbed some strands between them. "You're right, it is soft..." Humming, Claire watched as Blue tilted her head back to watch her with two golden, slit pupiled eyes. "Us female humans have less hair, that's what it's called, and it's softer then a male's. We also style it as a form of... display, to attract mates."

All of a sudden, Blue's eyes focused on her. "Attract mates?" Frowning, Blue reached up and felt Claire's hair as the red head smiled. "Alpha likes Mate's hair? Seems odd..."

Laughing a bit, Claire's eyes sparkled. "Well, Owen did say that my hair was one of the first things of mine that caught his attention."

Suddenly, Blue grabbed her chest and looked down. "Are these also for attracting mates? Male Not-P-humans sometimes talked about them. Said they liked bigger ones..."

Her face red, Claire coughed some. "Well... uh..." Seeing the piercing look directed at her, she just shrugged some. "It can depend on the male... They can also be used to feed our young..." A groan then went through her. 'I am going to kill Owen for this...'

* * *

Owen walked in as he rubbed the painful area on the back of his head to see Blue who still seemed slightly out of it. "Er, right... so how are you feeling?"

With a blink, Blue grimaced a bit and rubbed her stomach. "Feels bad still..."

The raptor trainer just shook his head and sighed. "That's what you get for eating so much and so many different things." He scowled a bit as he remembered the mess in the kitchen and how he would need to go for groceries. Suddenly, Owen smirked a bit and walked toward her. "Though I do know how to make you feel better..."

Now that attracted Blue's attention. "Alpha does?" Having spotted the expression on Owen's face, Blue felt a shiver go up her spine. "... Alpha?"

A chuckle escaped from Owen as his smirk became a grin. "Yeah... Time to go see Doctor Gerry, he helps out the medical wing sometimes and can fix you right up... including giving you the shots that you need as a human."

That caused Blue's pupils narrowed to nearly nothing and she seemed to pale before she took off. "NO! NOT WANT FUCKING SHITTY PAINFUL PRICK-THINGS!"

However, she forgot that she was a human now and was less fast then she was as a Raptor. As shown as Owen easily grabbed her. "Oh no, payback is a real bitch, Blue. You wanted to be a little shit when I was a Raptor? Now it's _my_ turn!"

Squawking, Blue struggled to get free and fought wildly, "LET GO! LET GO, ALPHA! I SORRY! WON'T HAVE YOU GET PRICK-THINGS AGAIN!"

After she nearly bit him, Owen moved and held her arms behind her head and lifted her, easily supporting her weight without harming her. "Time to go see Doctor Harding!"

Blue continued to fight him as he left the room, but was unable to even hit him. "NOOOOOO!"

* * *

Claire was walking through the hall as she felt her phone vibrate. Pulling it out, she raised one eyebrow at the text she received. "He's taking Blue to Doctor Harding? Hmm... I can see that ending well." Finally reaching her office, she sat down and glanced at the clock. 'Won't be long...'

A few moments later, the two computer screens on her desk came to life to show a still recovering Simon and a young, brown haired man. Simon smiled gently at her. "Hello Claire, how are you holding up?"

Letting out a breath, Claire gave a small smile back. "It seems as if there is not one thing, there's another, Simon." She then turned to the other man and noticed the twinkle in his eyes much like there was in his grandfather's. "Mister Hammond, I hope that you are good today."

Smiling, all Tim Hammond did was nod. "As good as it gets these days... and please, call me Tim." The twinkle in his eye only grew with his next words. "After all, Miss Dearing, you are the caretaker of my grandfather's dream. A rather good job all things considered."

With a nod, Claire's smile grew a bit larger. "I don't know if that would be true..."

As he leaned back into his chair, Tim snorted. "I've seen the videos and the articles. There's many out there who consider you a hero for what you did..." He shivered a bit as there was a slight haunted look on his face. "I don't know if I would have let Rexy chase me down the street of my own free will like that..."

Then he covered it up by drinking from the mug on his desk as Claire shook her head. "And I would do it again..." She didn't finish it out loud though. 'Especially as I now know that she would never harm me on purpose...'

Placing his mug back down on his desk, Tim frowned as his expression turned grave. "Before we get any further, I'm afraid that we still have no news as to where Henry might be. I've had investigations here but there's been no leads and neither has there been any with the United States Government. I have a few suspicions as to where he might be, but that was all they are at the moment."

Simon frowned as he folded his hands in front of him. "Oh?"

His expression grave, Tim shook his head. "Nothing concrete, just some suspicions. I would like it Claire if you could have your people look for anything regarding a 'Chaos Effect'." At her nod, he was once more smiling. "Thank you, that would be much appreciating..."

Even though he wanted to know more, Simon dropped it for now before he glanced at a screen just out of view of Claire. "Now then, before we speak about the eruption to the north, I've recently received notice that you wish to open some new exhibits for the reopening? We both have been looking through what you have and wish to talk with you about them."

With a glance at his own screen, Tim frowned a bit. "Yes... Raptor Racing?"

Leaning back, Claire smiled a bit as she thought about the Raptor Squad, though a part of her was a bit unhappy with needing to explain herself to both Tim and Simon. But under the new agreement, it was necessary. "Yes, it's rather simple actually. We build what amounts to a horse racing track and then enclose it with bleachers in one section. The bleachers will be protected by an electrified fence and glass to prevent the raptors from getting in. We then have shows daily where the raptors race along the track, sometimes leaping over obstacles that are in their way."

Tim just tapped his desk with a slight grimace. "You must understand, Claire, I am at a loss as to this being a good idea. I have some... _experience_... with raptors. They are quite dangerous to those around them and this pack has killed humans before."

Much to Tim's surprise, there was a flash of anger in Claire's eyes as she leaned forward. "Tim, yes, the raptors have killed humans... _But_ there were excusable circumstances behind their actions. Firstly, InGen had not informed us that the Indominus had raptor DNA. Two, they should not have been used as they were, but Hoskins ordered it after Simon's incapacitation." The older of the two men grimaced at the memories, but nodded. "Finally, before they could react InGen Security, under Hoskins orders, fired upon them. I will note though that they never harmed either of their trainers during the incident. Since then, they have been most agreeable."

Folding his hands in front of him, Tim frowned as Simon just watched. "I have seen the after action reports, but the fact remains that just letting them live was a controversial decision. One which you fought for, should I remind you. Unless you can prove that they are no danger..."

Trailing off, Tim noted the victorious expression on Claire's face. One which told him that he had fallen into a trap. "And if I can prove that they are not a danger?"

Now unsure, all the young man did was narrow his eyes. " _If_ you can prove that they are not a danger, then I will give the idea a large among of consideration."

If anything, Claire's victorious expression grew which caught Simon's attention. "You have proof?"

Reaching into her purse, Claire pulled out a memory stick and placed it into the computer. "I do..."

Both men watched as she sent them video. Much to Tim's shock, it showed unfettered raptors walking around a house with who he knew to be Owen Grady. But then it continued and showed the raptors acting calmly and non-aggressive to Barry, Jess, and to his biggest shock, Claire herself. "I... How?"

The red head glanced at the video which showed her gently petting Blue as said raptor placed her head in Claire's lap. "We're not quite sure, but it seems that Owen's actions have cemented himself into the pack structure as the Alpha. More then that, he's able to add humans to the pack with little argument from the raptors and they accept it."

His hand in his hair, Tim shook his head. "I don't believe it... You have _friendly raptors_..."

Clearing his throat, Simon glanced at Tim. "They do seem rather under control..."

With a sigh, Tim massaged his temple. "I'm still unconvinced. But if the raptors are still this... trained... by the time the park reopens, then you will have my own backing. You still have to find a corporate sponsor though."

A slight smirk crossed Claire's face. "I actually have two who might be interested, especially with how the raptors have been seen." Seeing their interested looks, she chuckled. "Nabisco, the makers of Oreos and Frito-Lay, the makers of Cheetos."

Raising an eyebrow, Simon smiled a bit in interest. "And why would they be interested."

The response he got caused him to laugh and Tim to stare. "As it turns out, the raptors love Oreo cookies as treats and Charlie, one of them, adores having Cheetos. I think that will garner some interest."

Glancing at Tim with a smile, Simon just nodded. "That seems just about perfect if you can convince them. Now then, moving on... this 'Small World' exhibit is the most doable. In fact, it seems to be the kind of exhibit that we don't have. You also have shown that we have all that we need for them already?" At her nod, he clapped his hands. "Excellent. I see no issues with building it, do you Tim?"

While he snorted, Tim smiled having gotten over his shock a bit regarding the raptors. "I see no issues with the Small World exhibit. I dare say that it might well be the _safest_ of the exhibits."

After he tapped the screen again, Simon hummed a bit. "Now then, continuing on with the dimetrodon paddocks, it says here that you have been in consultation with various world renowned zoos in regards to keeping large lizards and crocodiles?"

Nodding, Claire brought up a schematic of the future paddock. "After going over the old park files as well as consulting some paleontologists, it was decided that large lizards such as monitors and crocodiles were the closest we might get behaviorally. So we are building the paddock with that in mind. We should have it ready well before they're needed and with some captured from the restricted zone of the island. No need to use the lab on the island, freeing it up for other uses."

Thoughtful, Simon rubbed his chin some. "I'm guessing that you have done something similar with the possible dilophosaur paddock?"

In reply, Claire brought up another schematic. "We talked with our theropod trainers and keepers here on the island and asked them to help. Altogether I think that we can be quite pleased with the result. For example, due to them being venomous, we are going to have a large concrete wall with triple layered shatterproof glass so that people can see them. Said windows will have a self-cleaning system to wash off any venom that is spat on them..."

* * *

Blue laid on her back in her nest as she stared at the ceiling until Echo caught her attention as she chirped. "{ _What like being Not-Prey?_ }"

For several moments Blue furrowed her eyebrows in thought. Then when she realized what she was doing, the transformed raptor blinked. "Is very strange. Not-Prey body feeling like it falling all the time without tail to balance, but does not fall. Also, having so many soft-claws strange." To punctuate her point, Blue raised a hand and wiggled her fingers as she also wiggled her toes. "No claws, but do not need. Also, skin soft and easy to hurt, but can feel many things which could not before."

Sniffing her sister some, Delta let out a snort as Blue's hair tickled her nose some. "{ _What about tickly-stuff?_ }"

As she shrugged, Blue reached up with one arm and slowly stroked Charlie who hissed in pleasure as the transformed raptor marvelled at how much more she could feel. Before, she could feel their hides rubbing together, but now she could feel each small bump and dip of Charlie's hide. "Is not bad really. Alpha's Mate told me that No... Human females use Tickly-Stuff or hair to attract mates."

That caused Blue's sisters to all perk up and take notice as, at what counted as the grocery store on the island, Owen felt a chill go up his back. Slowly, Charlie leaned toward Blue some. "{ _Attracts mates? Could one have mates?_ }"

With a thoughtful expression, Blue clinched her toes. "Don't know, maybe? Don't know if there any Swift-Hunter males, but seems strange thought? Take n-Human mates instead?"

Several minutes went by as the four considered the thought. But before any further discussion could occur, Claire poked her head in to check on them. "Is everything okay in here?"

Blinking, Blue just nodded. "Yes, everything okay..." She was caught off as they all heard a rumble and turned toward Blue who had one hand on her stomach. "But is kind of hungry..."

All Claire did was shake her head some. "I'll be right back with something for you..." Not even four minutes later, Claire walked in with a plate that had a peanut butter sandwich on it and a glass of milk which she sat down in front of Blue. "Here you go, always did enjoy the classics."

Having picked it up, Blue sniffed it and cocked her head to the side and waited until Claire returned to look at her. "What is this?"

While she sat down with her own sandwich, Claire smiled over at her. "It's a peanut butter sandwich with milk."

That was not enough of an explanation for Blue and the others as Delta leaned down and sniffed the sandwich. "{ _But what is it? Remember smelling Alpha eating it before, but not smell animal like it._ }"

Claire raised an eyebrow as she looked at the pack. "You mean, you want to know what peanut butter is?" At their nods, she thought it over some. "Do you know what a nut is?"

Slowly, Echo nodded as did the others. " _Large tree seeds._ "

As she smiled, Claire leaned back. "That's what nuts are I suppose... anyways, humans can eat nuts. Our teeth can crush some types easily, these teeth." Opening her mouth, Claire tapped one finger against her molars as Blue and the others leaned in. After a few moments, she closed her mouth and watched as Blue had opened her own mouth and was feeling her teeth with her tongue, the others watching in interest. "Nuts are pretty good actually. But humans found ways of crushing them without teeth until they become paste. That is what peanut butter is."

Now curious, Blue leaned down and sniffed the sandwich in interest. "Taste good?" At Claire's nod, Blue picked it up and took a bite before her face lit up as she chewed. "Is really good!"

Pretty amused by how happy the transformed raptor was, Claire took a bite of her own sandwich before she tapped the glass of milk by Blue's side as the raptor continued to chew. "It helps if you drink some milk."

Taking a drink, Blue swallowed and smiled with a happy expression. "Is very good!"

* * *

Once they were done eating (and having fed the other raptors), Claire pulled something from her purse and nudged Blue. "Come on, sit up." Confused, Blue did so only for Claire to sit down behind her. "Now then..."

Feeling something move through her hair, Blue's eyes widened a bit before they closed as the sensation calmed her. "What you doing?"

With a soft smile, Claire continued to brush the currently transformed raptor's hair. "Just brushing your hair and making sure that there's no tangles."

That caused Blue to open her eyes a bit despite her relaxation as the other raptors looked on in interest. "Oh! OH! Is like grooming? Did not know that humans did group grooming! Is very nice though."

Chuckling, the red haired woman shook her head some. "Well, not always. Sometimes we groom ourselves or we go to a person whose job is to groom us to look good." Her expression softened a bit and a tone of wistfulness entered her voice. "I remember doing this with my sister, Karen when we were younger actually."

Charlie perked up a bit at that. "{ _You groomed nest-sister?_ }"

A look of fond remembrance was on Claire's face as she nodded. "Mm-hm." She could hear a soft rumble come from Blue not unlike a purr as she continued. "We used to sit down in our rooms sometimes and just brush each other's hair. The two of us would pick a bedroom and sit down on the bed and just talk as we... groomed each other."

It did not escape the raptor's notice that Claire was currently brushing the hair of the Beta of the pack in much the same way as she described having done the same to her own sister. Unknown to Claire, this only settled her position as one of the pack. Meanwhile, Blue simply enjoyed the feeling as she leaned against Claire. 'So nice...'

Once Claire was done, she raised an eyebrow as Blue turned and gently took the brush and looked it over. "Blue?"

The transformed raptor looked up at her and then got up before she moved around Claire and sat down. "My turn to groom now."

With a great deal of amusement, Claire smiled as Blue first ran her fingers through the red hair before she began to brush slowly. There was an expression of concentration as Blue copied what Claire had done to the best of her ability. Inside her head, Claire was chuckling though she had to hold back a slight wince every time Blue was a bit too forceful. 'If you had told me a few weeks ago that I would have a raptor turned human brushing my hair...'

* * *

If there was one thing that Owen really disliked, it was standing in line. But after the morning which lead to him throwing out food which Blue had "Sampled", he needed to get some more. Claire had also told him that he should get some clothing for Blue. All of which lead him to making a trip to the island's grocery store. It was only really there to service the needs of the employees and those visitors who wanted to buy their own food to cook in their hotel suites. None of that really mattered as Owen came to a stop in a line of employees as they were buying groceries. 'And I thought that I had an appetite...'

A voice in front of him caused Owen to look up to see Jess there with a knowing grin. "Getting some food? Just saw you here the other week and if I didn't know better, I would swear you had a teen eating you out of house and home."

Rolling his eyes at Jess' hint, Owen grumbled. "And it's only going to get worse..." At her look, Owen shrugged. "Besides the obvious, both Claire and myself have... Higher metabolisms then normal."

That only caused Jess to raise an eyebrow. "How high?"

After he took a look around, Owen leaned in. "Let me put it this way, Claire might not need to ever diet again. Her and Ol'Rexy share some things."

Understanding what he meant, Jess playfully scowled some. "Lucky her."

Owen then looked at Jess' own basket with a raised eyebrow. "Speaking of getting more food..."

All Jess did though was shrug at him. "I needed some new ingredients for a meal I'm making since we're having an old friend over for supper from the mainland." Knowing what Owen was about to ask, she shook her head. "No, I'm not telling you who they are. All you need to know is that they got clearance to come to the island whenever they want."

Several moments of silence passed before Owen cleared his throat. "So... I've been wondering about something and been meaning to ask you or Gerry about it."

Paying more attention to the candy as well as how slow the line was with only one cashier, Jess frowned. "Well? Go on and ask."

With his eyebrow cocked, Owen cleared his throat. "Well... as I was helping the ACU set up some teams to come back to the island to handle the cleanup, we got word that you and your father were still here. Not that I really mind and all as you found Delta, Echo and had gotten to work saving them. And it saved us time when I brought in Charlie for surgery."

There was a sheepish grin on Jess' face as she knew where this was going. "Yeah... Me and dad seem to have made it a habit to be left behind when the island gets evacuated. Let me guess... You want to know how we missed it?"

Slowly, Owen nodded. "It was announced over the PA system and had been going on since about three in the afternoon... So how the hell did you and your dad get left behind?"

Jess rubbed the back of her head as she chuckled some. "Well... The day before me and dad were like, super busy. There was a triceratops who had broken it's leg. Then we had some college students who thought it would be funny to break into the petting zoo and give some of them weed so they could record it." Having heard about that, Owen winced though he also remembered seeing the ACU forcefully escort some guys about that age to the ferry. "Finally, some of the microceratops had went and eaten garbage again, so we had to go in and remove it surgically. All in all, it took us well into the night and we didn't get to bed until ten in the morning..."

For several seconds, Owen stared at her as she flushed before he spoke, his voice tinged in disbelief. "You have got to be kidding me... Are you trying to tell me that your father and yourself both _slept_ through the whole thing?! Seriously?!"

Once more shrugging with a sheepish grin, Jess nodded. "Yeah... We're both heavy sleepers and were bone tired after a long day and night of working. We also had our radios and phones turned off." A grimace crossed her face. "It was not a pleasant surprise when we got up and found no one around... Though thankfully all the enclosures were still up except for Rexy's..."

Someone behind them let out a whistle. "Whoa..." Both Owen and Jess turned to see a young man there who winced at being caught listening in. "Er, sorry about that... Just kind of sounds frightening."

It took a few moments but Owen snapped his fingers as he remembered the name. "Jenkins, right? The intern that's helping out the trainers, right? I remember you visiting the raptor enclosure a few times."

A little surprised, the young man nodded. "Um, er, yes Sir! I mean, Mr. Grady... Uh..."

He flushed as Jess giggled at him before she reached over and patted his arm. "Relax, Owen won't bite..." Jess then crossed her arms a bit with a smile. "So, you're here to intern with the trainers, huh? I'm Jessica Harding by the way, one of the head vets along with my dad, Gerry Harding."

Shaking her hand, he grinned a bit. "I'm Allan Jenkins, and yeah... I'm interning here to get some experience. Did my undergraduate studies in Kansas and worked at the I.Q Zoo as a teen."

Now it was Owen's turn to be impressed. "Not bad, I take it you read the research by Skinner and Baily then?" At the nod, Owen grinned "Some great stuff in there for trainers and behaviourists."

Stunned, Jenkins rubbed the back of his head. "Thanks! But your own research is pretty awesome too... Well, what you've published anyways. Like the comparisons between predatory dinosaurs and birds in behaviour in some areas... You're, um, something of a hero to me..."

Owen glanced at Jess who giggled at his expression. "Well, thanks I guess?" Wanting to change the subject a bit, Owen raised an eyebrow at what he saw in Jenkins' basket. "That's a lot of chicken."

Both Jess and Owen frowned slightly at how nervous Jenkins seemed. "Well, I really like chicken you know... Especially the stuff here at Jurassic World.. Oh, cashier is free."

Turning, Jess noticed that there was no one in front of her and began to place her groceries to be scanned. However her and Owen glanced at a nervous Jenkins and could not help but wonder what he was hiding.

* * *

Blue was pretty confused as Owen lead her outside as her sisters watched from the window in their room. "What we doing?"

Chuckling, Owen grinned a bit at her. "We'll just be killing some time while Claire finishes up dinner, Baby-Blue."

Though surprised at him using the old nickname he gave her, Blue's lips turned upward some in a smile. A sniff of the air caused her to look back at the bungalow. "Smells good, what's for dinner?"

Glancing at the house, Owen shook his head some. "You're in for a real treat, Blue. Claire is making some of her world famous lasagna with garlic bread." Seeing the confusion, he just laughed. "Don't worry, you'll like it."

Something was tossed at her which caused Blue to yelp and jump back a bit. With a glare at the laughing Owen, Blue glared at him before she looked down and blinked. Slowly, she picked up what was a catcher's mitt with a confused expression on her face. "Alpha?"

It was then that she saw Owen put something like it on his own hand. "It's a catcher's mitt, Blue. Anyways, I wanted to see if you wanted to kill some time by playing catch."

The transformed raptor's eyes lit up some at that. "Play? Alpha wants to play?" At his nod, she frowned a bit as she put on the glove like she had seen Owen put on his. "How do we play?"

Tossing a ball into the air, Owen gestured with the gloved hand. "I toss this ball and you catch it using the glove and then you toss it back to me and I catch it. Once I do, I toss it back." There was puzzlement on Blue's face so he shook his head. "Watch." Owen tossed it high into the air and then caught it. "See?"

As she nodded with wide eyes, Blue smiled. "I see now, Alpha! Easy game!"

In reply, Owen raised an eyebrow and tossed the ball which Blue tried... and failed to catch. Scowling, she picked up the ball and threw it only for Owen to run and catch it. Without missing a beat, he tossed it back toward Blue. The transformed raptor yelped and ducked before Owen shouted over to her. "I thought it was an easy game, Blue!"

Her glare was hot enough to melt steel as she walked over and grabbed the ball and tossed it toward him. When he tossed it back, she tried to catch it only for her glove to just miss it. Looking down at the ball, she growled some and stomped a foot. "Stupid fucking shitty ball! Stupid fucking shitty game!"

Now highly amused by her antics, Owen grinned toward her as she turned around. "So you admit that I beat you at this?"

Turned out to be exactly the thing to say as a pissed Blue whipped around and grabbed the ball before she threw it. "STUPID ALPHA!"

Several minutes later, Blue finally got the hang of it and was grinning as she caught the ball. Up in the window, her sisters all watched in interest, their heads following the ball. Charlie chirped a little. "{ _Looks like much fun! See?_ }"

While her eyes followed the ball, Echo bobbed her head. "{ _Yes, like trying to catch flying things, but not eating. Good to train how to catch things with Soft-Claws. Wonder if could catch flying things._ }"

Delta turned her head to the side as she observed the ball. "{ _Cannot wait to become Not-Prey and try. Think can do better then Blue._ }"

Having heard her, Blue whipped her head around. "No you can't!" A moment later, she yelped as the ball hit her in the head, though thankfully not hard. "STUPID FUCKING SHITTY EATING THINGS!"

A wince escaped Owen before he rushed over to her. "You okay, Blue?" Much to Blue's surprise, he moved her hair some and examined her scalp. "Hmm... doesn't look too bad... does this hurt?" Owen pressed down gently and got a hiss. "There we go... well, you should be okay, nothing more then maybe having a nice goose egg there thankfully."

That caused Blue's eyes to widen some as she stared at him. "Have egg on head?! How will egg get on head!?"

Caught off guard, Owen blinked before he shook his head. "Uh, it's not a real egg. it just means that where the ball hit will swell a bit and be in the shape of an egg or something like that..."

Snorting, Blue scowled before she huffed. "Is very stupid thing to say. Why call it egg if it's not egg? Stupid no-human thing."

Before Owen could say anything though, Claire stuck her head out the window. "Dinner's ready!"

An arm over her shoulder, Owen guided Blue back toward the bungalow. "Come on then, I think that you will like what we're about to have..."

* * *

Licking her lips, Blue purred in enjoyment as she leaned back into her chair and burped. "Like food that Alpha's Ma-Claire make. Yummy and so was fizzy brown water." She blinked though when Claire set down a dark brown thing in front of her. "What this?"

Claire smiled at Blue as she picked up one of her own. "It's a peppermint pattie, some of what we ate will make our breath smell, so eating these will make it smell better."

Unsure, Blue picked one up and looked it over before she smelled it. 'Does not smell bad...' With a look toward Owen and Claire, Blue bit into it and then pulled back. "Is cold in mouth!"

Soft laughter escaped from Claire before she shook her head. "You sure about that? Touch the white stuff with your finger."

Confused, Blue did so and then stared. "Wait, is not cold?" Once more touching her tongue to it, she pulled back and examined it. "But cold in mouth? What is trick?"

Owen just waved a hand around. "It's the peppermint. To humans, it tastes cold even though it's not cold."

While Blue busied herself with her new discovery, Claire frowned and looked toward Owen. "Anyways... after the week is up and Blue doesn't need the amulet, I'm going to go and find Rexy to give it to if that's alright."

That caused Blue's attention to focus in on her again. "Give Stern One metal thing!? But what about pack!? Pack wants to become human!"

As she grimaced a bit, Claire shook her head. "Blue, your sisters are still healing. Echo will need at _least_ another two weeks before her burns are fully healed according to Doctor Harding. Delta will take a bit longer as while her bones have knitted for the most part, they're still weak. Then we have Charlie whose regenerating. I don't want to risk their healing with transforming until they're fully healed."

Once she thought it over, Blue nodded. "Is good fact. Pack needs to heal first then use Metal-Thing to become Not-Pr... human."

Leaning forward though, Owen frowned a bit. "Is there another reason?"

With a breath, Claire nodded. "If the eruption spreads and we need to evacuate, then we only got so many animals we can bring with us and... Rexy is not one of them. She would get left behind on the island to try and survive because she's too big and dangerous. Blue and the others are small enough and visibly trained we could manage. But Rexy? Not a chance... So if she's able to become human, then we can get her off far easier then we could otherwise."

Thoughtful, Owen only nodded. "Makes sense..."

Chewing her own peppermint patty, Claire raised an eyebrow. "So, has Barry decided on what he wants yet?"

Waggling his hand back and forth, Owen shook his head. "Not really, though he has really given some thought to the Suchomimus and Baryonyx. Then again, he could do something with blood samples from Sorna. Like Spinosaurus..."


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: Jurassic World is owned by Universal Pictures

" _Hello?_ " -Phone or radio.

"{ _Alpha!_ }" -Dinosaur language.

* * *

Walking out through the doors of the Visitors Center, Claire only nodded as Owen got off his motorcycle and made way over to her. "You wanted to see me?"

Claire glanced around and shook her head. "Not here, I've got to get to the West Helipad to meet the volcanologists when they arrive and you're coming with me." At his raised eyebrow as they reached her car, she grimaced. "We'll talk on the way."

There was a similar grimace on Owen's face as he got into Claire's car on the passenger side. "Well, that's not foreboding at all..." Once he was in, Owen buckled up. "Okay, I'm in... Now what is going on?"

A moment later, Claire passed him a tablet which he looked over as she turned on her car. "It's secure..." It was then that Owen saw the slight tremble in Claire's hands and he placed his own over hers. Relaxing some, she tilted her head toward the tablet. "Lowery's team managed to recover some of the data from Wu's computer. Some of it has to do with raptor variants."

With a frown, the raptor trainer began to go through the tablet as he buckled up. "Okay, I know that we had two variants, the baseline like Blue and the others as well as the proto-feathered ones on Sorna... He cooked up some more I take it?"

As she started up the car, Claire shook her head. "There were three that I knew of. The baseline, the Sorna breed, and a near feathered one that Doctor Laura Sorkin and Wu had cooked up before InGen's board threw her to the side. That one had a large number of feathers on it and part of the argument was that there was a mistake made due to this being before we knew that they were actually feathered." Her frown deepened some. "The batch in question vanished under unknown circumstances along with the park's original dinosaur handler, a Doctor White, after a visit from Peter Ludlow."

Nodding along with the story, Owen scowled. "Never met the guy, but I was told he was a real piece of work."

While she chewed her lip, Claire sighed. "He was. That said, Lowery's team managed to recover information about three new raptor variants that Wu worked on. One we have only a name on which is the 'Velocirapteryx' which was the oldest and had the Sorkin-Wu type as a baseline. The other two we got more information on... The Spinoraptor and the Carnoraptor, both genetic hybrids."

For a moment, Owen felt the blood drain from his face as he put it together. "Oh fuck, please tell me that they were not using..." At the nod in reply as well as the white knuckled grip, Owen cursed. "Son of a bitch! What the hell was he thinking?! Both of those are super aggressive on Sorna! The Spinosaurus alone keeps needing to be moved because it's a psychopath... And the Carnotaurus is bad enough that both the raptors and the Tyrannosaurs avoid it's territory at night."

Her knuckles nearly white, Claire glanced at him as she drove toward the helipad. "You tell me? No one, not me nor Simon knew about these... Things. From the notes however, Hoskins did. I was wondering if you might have any ideas of why due to being ex-military?"

Scratching his head, a scowl crossed his face. "The Carnoraptor is the easy one. From the reports the Carnotaurus is able to camouflage itself, though not as good as the Indominus. It's also got very good senses geared toward night and low light hunting. If it's anything like the Carnotaurus, then it's probably designed for ambush. The Spinoraptor though... Maybe an aquatic assault knowing Hoskins?"

That caused Claire's eyebrow to raise some. "Aquatic assault?"

Owen nodded as he thought it over. "It could be sent in from littoral areas and swim ashore, or hunt along rivers and other waterways. After all, the Spinosaurus on Sorna has taken the niche used by crocodiles elsewhere... So the raptor would be adapted to swim."

Letting out a breath, Claire barely kept from groaning. "I was afraid of that..." Suddenly, the car stopped and Claire leaned against the wheel. "It's just... how did I miss this? I'm park manager and I somehow managed to miss something like this happening under my nose..."

With a soft smile, Owen reached across and gently squeezed her shoulder. "It was not your fault, Claire. Hoskins was involved and managed to pull the wool over everyone's eyes as did Wu. And with all the red tape and roadblocks that InGen had thrown up, it's not surprising that you missed it..." He then squeezed her shoulder again. "Now then... I think that we have a meeting to get to..."

* * *

Jess was walking along the road back toward the park proper and glanced toward the woman beside her. Said woman, despite the grey streaks in her hair, still carried the air of someone ready to fight at a moment's notice. "So, did you give any thought to the offer that dad told you about, Nima?"

With a glance toward the younger woman, Nima chuckled some. "I am still considering it... Gerry did come up with some good reasons and at least Masrani has tried to repair the damage that InGen has done to my people and acknowledged what InGen did..." A smirk then crossed her face. "And taking the offer means that I will be able to tweak InGen's nose some."

There was a similar smirk on Jess' face as her voice took on a teasing tone. "And it lets you be around dad some more."

In reply, all Nima did was shrug, though there was a small, soft smile on her face. They continued to walk through the woods as the trees cast sun dappled shadows on their bodies. Finally, Nima sighed a little bit as she stretched. "If I do come, Mariquita will likely come as well, she misses her 'sister'."

With a pleased smile, Jess skipped ahead and then turned to face Nima as she walked backwards. "Well, I miss Atlanta as well... and it would be nice to have her around as well." A frown then crossed her face. "But I thought she was busy with her job in the Unidad Especial de Intervencion?"

Humming, Nima placed her hands into her pockets. "She's been in the UEI for a while but has wanted a career change for some time. If I take the job offer, then very likely she will also join, possibly with some friends of hers that are also looking to leave the UEI.

Her eyes narrowed, Jess raised an eyebrow. "And of course, that has nothing to do with how Costa Rica is currently pissed as hell at InGen for what happened and the hints of a military program being involved on their soil..."

Nima only smiled a bit. "I'm certain that it has nothing to do with what that Hijo de Puta, Hoskins was up to." A scowl then crossed her face. "In some ways though, InGen has gotten worse since Hammond died."

As her own eyes narrowed, Jess nodded. "Yeah, what happened to him might have been too good for that pig. Though at least Tim is trying to fix the damage done and he has done good work with the Hammond Foundation in regards to your tribe."

Slowly, Nima grunted. " _Señor_ Tim is one of the few reasons, him and his sister, that I am considering the offer. Things have gotten much better for my people with their help..." Her frown only deepened as she held up a hand. "Stop, you hear that?"

Looking around, Jess listened with her eyebrows furrowed. "Hear... wait, something's nearby."

While her eyes scanned the area, Nima motioned with her hand for Jess to follow. Together the two walked off the road and silently vanished into the jungle. Not for the first time, Jess was thankful for the 'Lessons' that Nima had given her when she was younger without her father knowing. The two were near silent as they stalked through the brush before they stopped near a clearing and Nima frowned seeing the man walking through it with something held in his hand as she whispered. "Now who is this?"

Crouched next to her, Jess frowned some. "That's Allan Jenkins, he's an intern here but..."

All Nima did was glance at Jess from the corner of her eye before she focused back on the young man in the clearing who walked off. "What is that in his hand?"

Leaning forward a bit for a better look, Jess' frown deepened. "That's a tracker for a GPS collar. Pretty high spec one from what I can see from here..." At the look she got, the vet only shrugged. "We use them sometimes to track some of the dinosaurs here when they're first introduced into the herds, though those ones are larger and mounted in the vehicles. What he's holding is something more like what I have seen used to track some of the smaller animals on Sorna since they don't have roads that are easily traversable... though what in the hell is he doing with it here?"

Eyes narrowed, Nima grimaced a bit. "That is the question, isn't it?"

* * *

As she attempted to calm herself after her discussion with Owen over the raptor variants, Claire let out her breath as she noticed the helicopter land on the pad. Before the rotors began to slow down, the red head collected herself and walked forward. Just as she reached the helicopter, a blonde woman in her forties walked out. "Miss Dearing?"

With a slight smile, Claire shook the offered hand. "Doctor Anna McDonald, welcome to Isla Nublar." Pleasantries exchanged, Claire watched as one of the park SUVs pulled up for the various items being off loaded. Shaking her head, she turned toward the doctor. "We have some rooms set up for you at the Hilton Isla Nublar for you and your team until further notice."

Surprised, the doctor grinned a bit as she shook her head. Before she could say anything, one of the young men with her walked up. "The Hilton? Whew, we're living the snazzy life now doctor."

All the doctor did was shake her head before she gestured at him. "This is William Jones, he's one of my assistants and is currently going for his doctorate." She then turned and frowned a bit as he shook Claire's hand. "And I do believe that this is only temporary, Will."

He just raised his hands a bit. "No worries, Doc." Will turned to say something to Claire only for it to die in his throat at the look in her eyes. For some odd reason he felt like a small mouse in front of a rather annoyed cat. The fact that Owen stepped out of the car and was walking up caused the assistant to clear his throat. "Um, right... I'll just go and help the others offload..."

There was amusement on the doctor's face as she shook her head. "I'll have a chat with William later on about... how he should comport himself. Though I do wish that I could learn how to silence him like that."

Claire only smiled a bit as Owen came to a stop behind her. "I learned from the best."

For a brief moment, doctor McDonald could have sworn that Claire's eyes flashed amber. But then she shrugged it off as a trick of the light. "As to our accommodations, thank you for them." A frown then crossed her face as she grew thoughtful. "I was told that we could have access to the old North Dock?"

After giving her a gesture to follow, Claire brought her over to the car and pulled a laptop out. With practiced ease, she brought up some information on the screen. "The North Dock, like much of what was in the Restricted Zone, was abandoned. When the decision to reclaim the island and build Jurassic World was decided, we used the North Dock as it was the largest to offload necessary equipment until the Ferry Terminal was completed in 2005. Afterwards, it was decided to just abandon it as the road between the park and the dock passed through the Restricted Zone. It would just be too costly to continue to escort convoys through there..."

Leaning in, Anna frowned a bit. "It would give us a good observation point once we've set up an outpost... How dangerous is the docks themselves?"

In reply, Claire brought up some pictures. "The docks themselves, the ones that you would be using, are still in good shape despite the hurricanes they've gone through. Hammond had spared no expense when having them built and Mr. Masrani had them repaired. The walls around the dock area seem to be intact as well and the Guard Tower is livable at the moment with little work... I've been told that you will have some trailers which will be used to create a compound inside the walled area of the docks?"

Slowly, Doctor McDonald nodded as she scanned the pictures. "We are. We'll be putting a transmitter on the old Guard Tower for satellite uplink. We'll also have backup generators and solar panels for power so we won't need to tap into the park's own power system."

As he crossed his arm, Owen frowned a bit. "What about security?"

With a glance, Anna chuckled. "We have some of our own that we have used before actually. But Masrani will station a rotation of ACU in the compound as well for however long the eruption lasts..." It was then that she reached behind her and pulled out some papers and handed them to Claire who looked them over. "We'll be dropping some sensor buoys within five miles of the eruption itself to record various things. Not just video, but taking temperature of the water, detecting gases in the atmosphere and dissolved in the ocean and so on. We'll be using the satellite transmitter to transmit any data off the island."

Frowning, Claire slowly nodded as she looked it over before a thought occurred to her. "I do have question, doctor..." At the nod, she continued. "If you have video, would it be possible for you to allow us access as well?"

Confused, the volcanologist nodded. "I see no real issue with that... may I ask why?"

Slowly, a smile crossed over Claire's face. "I had a chat with my nephews about this and they mentioned that it would be... 'Neat' and 'Awesome' to livestream video of the eruption for people to view online..."

Now it was Anna's turn to grow a smile. "I don't see an issue with that actually. In my experience, it's usually pretty popular..." It was then that she glanced back to the helicopter and nodded at one of her team waving her over. "I'm sorry about this, Miss Dearing, but it seems that I am needed."

Shaking her hand, Claire nodded. "Jurassic World looks forward to working with you and your team, Doctor McDonald. I'll mention that the while the park is currently closed, they can access many of the facilities that our guests normally can and we hope that they enjoy their time here."

Once she was gone, Owen turned toward Claire with a raised eyebrow. "Really now? Giving them access to what much of the guests would?"

There was a slight smirk that Owen recognized on Claire's face as she reached into her car and pulled out some bottled water. "They're from outside the park. I've done some research on her team before now and a few of them are avid twitters. Others are often on their Facebook." Sipping her water, Claire sighed. "They'll spread the word that the park is currently safe for their stay, which will help when we reopen in a few months."

Owen could only shake his head as he chuckled. "Only you..."

* * *

Barry had just set down the still dinosaur raptors' meals when he heard a knock at the door. Frowning, he raised an eyebrow as he spotted who was at the door. "Jess? What are you doing here?"

As she smirked, Jess shoved her hands into her pockets and looked into the bungalow. "There's not much going on right now thankfully and decided to take the next two days off. Blue around here?"

Almost as if by magic, Blue poked her head out of the raptor's room and scowled a bit. "No poke me today with fucking shitty things!"

Chuckling, Jess just leaned into the open door and looked her over. "Hmm... I can see what dad meant. Anyways... I'm taking her into the park proper."

With a frown, Barry glanced at the now interested transformed raptor and frowned a bit. "I don't know, Jess... Owen's not around at the moment and I'm not too sure that Claire would be too happy either..."

In reply, Jess showed him her phone which showed text messages between her and Claire. "She has no problem with it. Besides, how else is Blue going to learn how to act human if she's cooped up in here all day with either you or Owen?" Returning her phone to her pouch, Jess leaned against the doorframe. "Besides, I'm getting one of my friends to send down some boxes of clothing I still have from when I was a teen. Should fit her a lot better then Owen's old stuff and I already got some washed in my quarters."

Before Barry could say anything, Blue ran up and pushed him to the side as she looked at Jess with narrowed eyes. "Take me to where n-humans are? Not stuck here?" At Jess' nod, Blue gave Barry a glare. "I go!"

Groaning, Barry rubbed his face. "Oh for... Fine, you can go with Jess, Blue. Just... be careful."

There was a grin on Blue's face as she yipped in excitement and rushed out. As she shook her head in amusement, Jess waved at Barry. "I'll see you later, and don't worry... I won't give her _too much_ sugar."

A shiver went down Barry's back as he whipped around to see the laughing Jess reach her truck. "Wait, what!? Jess! Don't you dare overload her with sugar! JESS!"

Hopping into the driver's seat, Jess buckled up before she looked toward Blue and started the truck. "All buckled up there?" Blue nodded as she pulled and twisted her seatbelt. "Something the matter?"

While she continued to pull at her seatbelt, Blue scowled. "Do not know why need straps! Stupid human thing! What if we need to hop out window in order to catch prey!" Hearing Jess chuckle, Blue turned toward her with a puzzled expression. "Why you laugh?"

Jess just tapped the steering wheel as she sped up a little. "Well, for one thing humans don't really jump out of vehicles to hunt. Secondly, those serve a very good purpose." Before Blue could ask, Jess slammed on the breaks and Blue's breath rushed from her as she jerked forward, the seatbelt holding her back from being flung into the dashboard. "See?"

Gulping in some air, Blue nodded rapidly as she sat back. "Yes, see now... very smart of humans!"

All Jess did was start forward again with a slight smile. 'And that was for a few weeks back when you decided to scream in my face.' Not too long after, she heard a soft growl and turned to see Blue with her hand across her stomach. "Hungry?"

Her eyes wide, Blue perked up some and nodded. "Yes, did not get to eat before leaving."

With a hum, Jess tapped the steering wheel as they entered the park proper and nodded. "Okay then, I'll buy something for you... anything you want to try?"

Unsure, Blue frowned in thought. "Don't know.. wait! Alpha said that Little Green One tasted like 'Popcorn chicken'. Want to try!"

Chuckling, Jess nodded some. "KFC it is then..." She then glanced at Blue with a slight frown. "Just to let you know, Blue... When you're human, you shouldn't call Owen Alpha, some might take it the wrong way."

Now confused, Blue stared at her with her head cocked to the side. "But Alpha is Alpha! What else could I call him but Alpha?"

As she pulled toward the area where Nublar's KFC was, Jess shrugged a bit. "You could call him a couple of things. For example, you could call him by his name. Or add something like Uncle to the front of his name to make people think that you were his niece if that's his story."

Blue tilted her head to the side some. "What is... 'Uncle'?"

The vet glanced at her and shook her head. "You know how a 'Aunt' is the... female nestmate of a person's parent, right?" With a nod, the transformed raptor looked around. "Well, an 'Uncle' is the male nestmate of one's parent." A glint then entered Jess' eyes. "Though really, Owen is more like a dad to you and your pack."

Like a laser, Blue's gaze zeroed in onto Jess. "Dad? Alpha is like a... dad?"

Humming, Jess glanced at the KFC. "Yeah, you know... a male parent. He did raise you and the rest from hatchlings after all. Another word would be daddy, though some use father instead." Pulling up to a parking spot, Jess turned off the truck and removed the keys. She then turned toward Blue with a smile. "I'll just go in and get us some food, okay? You stay here and once we're done, I'll take you to my quarters and we'll get you to take a shower or something before we try on some clothes."

For a moment, it seemed like Blue had not heard her before she nodded. "Yes, is fine." As Jess left, she could hear Blue muttering over and over. "Dad... daddy... is right word? Seems... good..."

If Owen had been there, he would have shivered at the grin on Jess' face. 'And part one of getting back at Owen for those pranks is now complete.'

* * *

Getting into her car after yet another meeting with the volcanology team, Claire took a moment to just take a breather and leaned her head against the steering wheel. Of course, not even a moment later her phone buzzed and she bit back a growl as she answered. "Claire Dearing, Operations Manager." After a few moments, she frowned and turned on the car. "We'll be right there, Doctor Harding."

Owen passed her a cup of iced tea which she gratefully took. "What was that all about?"

Putting down her drink, the red head sighed. "Something has come up in regards to the cargo the poachers had on their boat which we recovered before it sank."

That caused one of Owen's eyebrows to raise in askance. "I almost forgot about them. we already turned them over to the authorities in Costa Rica, right?"

A small feral smile appeared on Claire's lips as she nodded. "Plus a few extra bruises from when they tried to resist being put onto the boat." Pointingly ignoring the snort from her boyfriend, Claire grimaced a bit. "We've recovered some more from the wreck though for evidence and they had some dinosaur parts on board along with a few live specimens... Though at least this time there were no Tyrannosaur testicles involved."

It was proof of how surprised Owen was that it took him a few seconds before he turned and stared at her. "Wait, what now? _Tyrannosaur testicles?!_ Why would you..."

Slowly, Claire's grimace tightened as she growled. "Apparently there's some men in Asia who believe that using testicles from a Tyrannosaurus in some medicines will help them in certain parts of their life. In this case, we've found teeth, bones, horns, and a few hides."

For a few seconds Owen didn't say a thing as he thought it over. Then he shrugged a bit. "Well, that would be one thing that I won't ever need."

With a glance, Claire hummed. "I suppose that you might be right there..." Her lips then turned downwards into a frown. "Though I wonder why Gerry needs to talk with me... If it was just the animals he could give me a report after scheduling a transport for them back to Sorna..."

Looking out the window, Owen leaned back into his seat. "Well, no use worrying about it for a little bit. We'll find out soon enough..."

Agreeing, Claire looked over toward him. "By the way, not that I have much issue with it but I am surprised that you haven't gone your own way today."

Stretching his arms best he could, Owen sighed a bit. "Barry can take care of Charlie, Delta, and Echo for the day. Blue is with Jess, despite me not really liking that..."

He glanced over at Claire who simply smiled back. "Blue needs to learn how to act human which means getting out and about. Jess also has clothing that can fit Blue and, I hope, the other girls once they have a turn."

Owen just shook his head some. "And this is not going to turn out well, mark my words." He then smirked a bit at her. "Finally, I've been bored stuck in the bungalow and need some time outside. So I decided that I might as well as what a day in the life of Claire Dearing is like."

Snorting, Claire slowed down the car as they reached their destination. "And I'm sure that it's an enjoyable and eye opening experience."

The car came to a stop and Owen got out. "Enjoyable, maybe but only because of you. But it is eye opening... Never knew the amount of work you get up to."

Flashing him a smile, Claire shook her head. "I'll have you know that I don't only sit behind a desk all day. And that's not an easy task either, Mr. Grady."

His tone mocking, Owen shot back as they entered the park's veterinary clinic. "Of course, Miss Dearing."

A snort from up ahead had them both turn to see Gerry watching them with an amused expression. "If you've both stopped flirting, I've got an issue that I need to resolve and soon."

Easily matching his stride, Claire had a worried expression on her face as they walked through the halls. "Can you tell me what the issue is, Gerry? I suspect it has to do with the animals that the poachers took and we recovered..."

There was an angry scowl on his face before he answered her. "It does. Almost all of them will be sent back to Sorna in about a week such as the Pachy. But there's one that we can't."

He stopped before a window which showed a small, dog-sized dinosaur moaning on a table as a young Japanese woman stroked it's restrained head. It took a moment for Claire to identify both the young woman and the dinosaur. "A Ceratosaurus? That can't be much more then a hatchling... And is that Ami Kobayashi in there?"

That caused Owen to raise his eyebrow. "Ami? Isn't she one of the assistant handlers for the Matriacanthrosaurs?" Then his eyes narrowed as he caught sight of something. "What happened to it's eye?"

Gerry just sighed. "You're right that it's not much more then a hatchling. According to our records, it can't be much more then maybe a few weeks old at the size it is. As for the eye, the poachers injured it there. Could be that they hit it there with the dart or, judging by wound, they cut it. Either way, it became infected and we needed to remove the eye and seal the socket. One of it's feet was also injured and laying in the cramped cage means it'll have a slight limp... Sorna already said they can't take it back as it won't survive in the wild there."

Closing her eyes, Claire let out a sigh as she pinched the bridge of her nose. "So either we take it in... Or we put it down." She then glanced up. "It's parents?"

The vet grimaced a bit before he grunted. "We found a hide from a Ceratosaurus and tested it... Test came back positive for a relation."

Much to Gerry's surprise, Claire clinched her fists in rage. However, Owen chose that moment to speak up. "Have Ami as it's handler." At the questioning look, Owen gestured with his head to where the Japanese woman was feeding the young dinosaur some meat. "She's got a few years experience under her belt with the Metriacanthrosaurs, and those are more aggressive then Ceratosaurs. Aren't the Ceratosaurs rated as being medium aggression on the index?"

Slowly, Claire nodded in thought as beside her, Gerry rubbed his chin as he spoke up. "Just about. They're roughly equal in aggression to the Baryonyx..."

A thoughtful look on her face, Claire considered it from all perspectives. "We might be able to have it on the Cretaceous Cruise with the Suchomimus, Baryonyx, and the Metriacanthrosaurs... Or give it a paddock of it's own. Maybe spin it being rescued from poachers while raising awareness..."

Meanwhile, Owen leaned against the wall. "Could give her a turn on the amulet as well." Seeing the looks, he held up his hands. "She's pretty damn trustworthy and from what I heard saved a number of people during the Pterosaur Attack. Could be a possibility."

Claire only tilted her head. "Perhaps... But let me also check her background a little more before we consider that..."

There was a shared look between Owen and Gerry before they turned back to watch the Ceratosaurus as it took some bites of meat offered by Ami. Several minutes passed as Claire thought it over before Owen cleared his throat. "Would need a name actually if we have it as an attraction here."

Gerry raised an eyebrow as he crossed his arms and continued to watch the small dinosaur. "Ami's taken to calling it Sunset due to the red coloration of the head."

Rubbing his chin, Owen hummed a bit. "Sunset, huh? Not a bad name actually."

Slightly annoyed, Claire turned to them both. "I haven't made a decision on what we will be doing with her, you know." Seeing the triumphant expression on the raptor trainer's face, she narrowed her eyes some. "What?"

All Owen did was wave his hand in the air. "You called the Ceratosaurus 'Her'. I know that look on your face, you already made the decision to keep her here and alive, didn't you." The expression on Claire's face caused him to nod. "Thought so."

With a slight scowl, Claire turned back to the window. "I want you two to have a talk with Ami out here. While I'm undecided on her being it's permanent handler, I'll allow for her to be it's handler until further notice." Once she got nods, she walked over to the door to open it. "If you'll excuse me, I want a closer look while you talk with her."

That caused Owen to raise his eyebrow in question to her. "Any particular reason?"

Claire stopped for a moment and then looked over her shoulder at him. "Don't tell me that you cannot understand what she's saying... it's distressed. I'll be talking with her and letting her know what we'll be doing."

After she stepped inside and the door closed, Gerry smiled a bit. "I like this new Claire, she actually sees the animals as alive."

Frowning, Owen nodded. "I just wish that it didn't have to come about the way that it did..."

Meanwhile, inside the small room, Claire walked up behind the handler who looked up in some surprise before she stood to her feet. Ami then bowed a bit which Claire returned. "Miss Kobayashi."

Swallowing, the young woman cleared her throat. "Miss Dearing, it's a pleasure to see you..."

It seemed that for a moment she was unsure until Claire smiled at her gently. "You're not in trouble, Miss Kobayashi. In fact... if you'll step outside, Gerry will explain a bit of an offer that I have for you in regards to our newest resident."

For a moment, Ami was confused until she pieced together the words and bowed. "Thank you, Miss Dearing..." Then she reached out and stroked the Ceratosaur's snout. "I'll be back soon, Sunset."

Unnoticed by her, Sunset seemed to be slightly frightened of Claire. Once Ami was outside, the red headed woman crouched down to Sunset's level. "There's no need to be frightened, little one, I won't hurt you..."

The dog sized dinosaur looked up at her with a scared gaze as best she could with only one eye. "{ _Y-You smell like and feel like Big-Hunters... But look like Danger-Prey... H-how..._ }"

Slightly bemused, Claire chuckled some as she held her hand just in front of the Ceratosaur's snout to let her get a better whiff. "Well, for one thing humans are called 'Not-Prey' on this island. As for your question... I suppose that I am both. My name's Claire or; when I'm a Big Hunter, Tall-Daughter I suppose... And your name?"

For a moment, the Ceratosaur was quiet before she spoke up, her words causing Claire's eyes to widen. "{ _Too young for name, won't get name either will die soon._ }"

Her eyes wide, Claire leaned down some. "And why would you think that now?"

Slowly, the Ceratosaur turned to look at her. "{ _Cannot see good, foot has hurt and cannot move much. Am weak and mother gone. Weak young die and are killed, strong live and gain names. Will soon be killed because weak._ }"

Reaching out, Claire gently scratched at the Ceratosaur's head. "Well, considering that you've survived a lot I think that you're plenty strong. And on this island you'll grow up and become even stronger."

Confused, the Ceratosaur looked up at her. "{ _What mean?_ }"

Still with a bemused smile, Claire glanced at the window where Owen was talking with Ami. "Well... For one thing, here at Jurassic World, we'll be giving you a place here. In fact, we'll probably give you a territory all for yourself." Seeing what she somehow knew was a shocked expression, she continued. "And Miss Kobayashi has already given you a name... Sunset."

That caused the newly named Sunset to blink. "{ _Sunset? What mean? And territory?_ }"

With another glance at the window, Claire nodded. "Sunset is... When the sun, that big bright thing in the sky, disappears and the sky becomes red. Because of your head being red. As for territory, we'll give you your own where only you and Miss Kobayashi will be."

Sunset turned her head best she could to look at where Ami was. "{ _She nice, give lots of food... Not like mean Danger... Not-Prey. But why she be in territory?_ }"

Frowning, Claire considered how to word her response. "Well... Miss Kobayashi, or Ami as you might call her, is to be your handler. A... Partner of sorts. Or maybe calling her your Alpha Packmate or Nestmate might be better. Her job will be to take care of you as is needed and to help bring you food as well as prey." With her eyes level with Sunset's, Claire smiled. "So that means that you cannot hurt her, just like one would not hurt pack or other nestmates. Can you do that, Sunset?"

Her eyes wide, Sunset bobbed her head best that she could. "{ _Will do! Alpha-Ami is head of my pack. Obey her as pack would!_ }"

Giving one last rub to the head, Claire nodded. "That's good. Now I need to go have a talk with Ami. In a few days you'll be moved from here to elsewhere until you get bigger, okay? But I'll see about you getting some prey." With that, Claire stood and brushed off her skirt before she headed for the door. Once outside, she took note of the excitement on Ami's face. "I take it that you accept your new position?"

As she smiled widely, Ami bowed toward the red head. "Yes, Miss Dearing, I promise that I will not let you down!"

Feeling a hand on her shoulder, Ami looked up to see Claire smile at her. "You're very welcome and I'm sure that you won't. Now then... How about you go in and spend some more time bonding with Sunset."

Nodding, Ami rushed past and into the room. Owen just chuckled a bit as he watched. "I think she'll do just fine."

With a raised eyebrow, Claire looked at him. "Miss Kobayashi or Sunset?"

All Owen did was smirk at her. "Both."

* * *

Owen walked into his home and said good night to Barry as he made his way to the kitchen. Grabbing a beer from the fridge, he opened it. "... I cannot believe that is your usual day."

With a soft smile, Claire poured herself a glass of water before she sat down and walked to the room the raptors were in. She then sat down on the couch and kicked off her shoes. "Honestly? That was a rather slow day."

For several moments, Owen stared at her before he sat down with a thoughtful expression as the raptors looked on. "This... was a slow day..." After Claire nodded, he took a sip of his beer as she leaned into him. "You were all over the park, with various meetings going from one place to the other with little rest between... and this was a slow day?"

Chuckling, Claire sipped her own drink. "Didn't you ever wonder why it was before the amulet that I still had muscle on my body despite being management and not going to the gym that often? Going from one spot in the park to the other has a habit of burning those calories easily."

As he thought over the day, the raptor trainer could only nod in agreement. "So... the first new Apatosauruses were hatched to restock the herds. And then you had the Brachiosaurs for the 'Treetop Grazers' attraction hatching..."

Claire placed her drink onto the table as she flexed her feet, glad to be finally off them. "That won't be opening until 2018... if the park stays open."

However, Owen ignored her pessimism as he ticked off on his fingers. "Then you had the architects in for that 'Small Worlds' exhibit by the Ferry Terminal. Apparently they dug up some old plans from what was going to be 'Jurassic Park: Europe' in the Azores for the exhibit and already planning out how to lay it out..." All Claire did was watch with a raised eyebrow. "Then there was the meetings to plan out the Dimetrodon and Dilophosaur paddocks including travelling to the actual spots. Not to mention speaking with experts to determine whether to give Sunset her own paddock or just have her join the Cretaceous Cruise dinosaurs, which included myself and the other predatory handlers..."

Stretching out, Claire let out a yawn. "Still believe that I have an easy job?"

There was a minute in which Owen stared at her before he sighed and laid his head back against the cushion of the couch. "No, especially since I now know first hand how weasily some of those people you need to work with are... And Richard was a fucking arrogant asshole as per usual. I would have punched some of them within minutes if I had been you."

While she smiled, Claire gave a small laugh. "Good thing that you're not me then." It was then that the heard the sound outside of a truck and the red haired manager got to her feet. "That should be Blue and Jess."

Not even a moment later, they both heard the door open and Jess poked her head in. "You're both back, great! Are you ready to see the new Blue?"

Both Owen and Claire shared a look before the raptor trainer sighed. "Let's see her."

A moment later, he blinked as Blue walked out. The first thing he noted, unhappily, was that she was in what looked like a tight tank top and jeans. Over her shirt, was a jacket with ripped sleeves while there was a wide belt with an "M" on it. Unsure, Blue gave a small smile before she turned around as Claire motioned to with a finger. "Is this... good?"

Sighing, Owen nodded. "Yeah, Blue, that looks good on you."

For her part, Claire walked up and was poking and prodding at various parts of the outfit. "Hmm... it's actually better then I was expecting." Her eyes then glanced down. "And I notice that you have some... what are they called? Combat boots?"

Owen leaned forward to look as the Raptor Squad chimed in with their own thoughts starting with Delta. "{ _Looks good, now none not know that you are not Not-Prey and are True-Hunter.}_ "

It was all that Blue could do to smile before she snapped her fingers. "Oh, right! Um... Daddy, I call my marking tattoos now! Like Jess!"

What she said filtered through Owen's brain as he took a drink. Then his eyes bulged and he sprayed out his beer with a shocked look on his face...


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: Jurassic World is owned by Universal Pictures

" _Hello?_ " -Phone or radio.

"{ _Alpha!_ }" -Dinosaur language.

* * *

Smiling, Christina glanced back to her friend Amelia, both members of the volcanology team, as they walked along one of the back trails of Jurassic World close to the Restricted Area. "You alright back there, Amy?"

With a snort, Amelia only shook her head some. "Better then you." She then frowned some as she heard what she swore was the call of a bird nearby. "How much further until we reach the rock outcrop?"

Christina pulled out a map and glanced at it with a thoughtful expression. "Maybe... five minutes walk from here? It's right by the river and is supposed to show several lava flows, so we should get some great data from it."

All Amelia did was nod a bit as she pulled out her radio. "Doctor McDonald? It's Amelia and Christina, we're getting close to the outcrop."

There was a crackle before the doctor's voice came over the radio. "That's great to hear, girls! Try to get as many samples as you can so we can get a better understanding of the volcanism here. Any little bit helps after all."

Glancing at her friend, Amelia smiled a bit as she brushed some hair out of her eyes. "Well do, Doctor, just let us know if there's any dinosaurs in the area that we should be worried about." After getting confirmation, the young woman put the radio back on her hip. "So... anything that I should know about this place?"

As she chuckled, Christina shook her head. "Just don't get into the river itself. It's not the main one, but flows out of some out pipes from the mountains since it's part of the park's drainage. The current's supposed to be pretty fast, enough to knock your feet from under you." Frowning, she pointed toward the opposite bank. "Look at that, all the vegetation's been stripped so flash floods, maybe?"

Despite herself, Amelia glanced toward the river. "Yeah, looks like it." Suddenly she just stopped. "Did you see that just now?" Seeing the confusion, Amelia pointed toward the river. "Looked like something slipped into the river right there."

Now concerned, Christina walked up and looked herself. "I don't see anything... and there's not supposed to be any crocodiles on the island, created or not. That water also looks a bit too fast for crocs." The two shared a look with each other then nodded. "But let's get to the rock outcrop quickly just the same."

With a nod, Amelia began to jog along the roadway. Neither of them had time to react when part of the roadway gave way beneath them due to having been washed out because of flash floods during the recent hurricanes. With the park closed, no one had bothered with inspecting the backroads for damage. As she sat up, Amelia gasped as she felt her ankle throb. "Christina?" Not hearing anything, Amelia looked up to see her friend sprawled and barely conscious as she groaned. "Hey, Christina! Wake up!" It was then that a splash caught her attention and she turned to see what looked like a massive salamander slowly crawl out of the river as it stalked toward her, one bigger then her.

Then it opened it's mouth to reveal a large number sharp teeth as it hissed and began to move toward the two. "Oh shit! Oh shit! Oh shit!" Scrambling for her radio, Amelia couldn't find it and then spotted it's broken remains a few feet away. "Oh shit..." Amelia continued to look for something, anything that she could use as around her the air filled with the chirping of birds...

* * *

Once more in the truck with Jess, Blue glanced at her as the vet laughed. "Oh man, the look on Owen's face last night when you called him daddy! _Priceless!_ "

More then a little bit confused, the transformed raptor could only blink as Jess continued to laugh. "Do not understand why Daddy acted like that. Or why Claire fell of couch laughing... Or why he did not want me with you today."

However, all Jess did was pat her on the head. "Don't worry about it, Blue. It's something of a human thing really. Owen is just being stupid about things."

Blue thought it over for a moment and then nodded. "Daddy stupid Alpha sometimes." She then glanced into the backseat with an inquisitive look. "Use bang-stick today?"

Glancing at her in the mirror, Jess shook her head some. "Only if I have to, which I hope we won't. We're just checking up on some of the animals for right now and-" She got cut off as an ATV blazed by in the opposite direction which caused Jess to stick her head out her window. "What the hell?! That was Jenkins, where is he..." Narrowing her eyes, Jess looked at Blue who seemed more then a little panicked. "Hang on, Blue! I've had it with all this sneakiness bullshit from him!"

A screech ripped it's way out of Blue's throat as Jess threw the truck into a fishtail and started to drive after Jenkins. "FUCKING STUPID SHITTY METAL THINGS! SHITTY STUPID FUCK CLOACA HUMANS!"

It did not take Jess long to find Jenkins' ATV stopped above a section of the road that seemed to have collapsed. Both her and Blue hopped out of the truck and stopped at the strange sight below. "What the fuck...!?"

Near the river, Jess and Blue could see what looked like a salamander twice the size of a human and two young and injured women. Between them was Jenkins and almost twenty Compys. Jenkins kept jabbing at the amphibian with a shock stick while he shouted into a radio as the Compys attacked it from the side, distracting it. To Jess' shock, it looked like Jenkins and the Compys were working together as the creature hissed at them. Blue was the first one to shake it off and grabbed a rock which she flung at the creature, barely missing it as Jess ran back toward the truck. "GET AWAY SHITTY SLIMY THING!"

All the creature did was turn toward her and hiss. Then Jess was there beside her and raised the rifle in her hands to her shoulder. Frowning, Jess aimed carefully and fired, the first shot hitting the amphibian in the neck while the second took it in the middle of it's broad head. Flailing around for a moment, the creature stilled. With a deep breath, Jess made her way down the slope with Blue behind her, not for a moment lowering her rifle as she swept it from the body to the Compys and back. "Okay, what the hell is going on here?!"

Frowning, Blue watched the Compys who had not stopped their high pitched chirping and screeches even as they crowded around Jenkins. "They acting like human being flock leader."

It took a moment for Jess to watch before she noticed the modified tracking collars on the dinosaurs and narrowed her eyes as she remembered Jenkins tracking something a few days back. In fact, he had that equipment on him at this moment. "I think that you got a lot of explaining to do, Jenkins..." With a glance at the dead amphibian, Jess frowned. "And I don't think that you're the only one..."

* * *

Sighing, Claire paced in front of the table in the meeting room she had chosen as Owen leaned against one wall with Jess near the door. "Okay..." She glanced at a group of papers and began to read off. "When the ACU arrived at your hut, they found that you had nearly enclosed the entire space underneath with chicken wire and plants and shrubs. In there, they found what seems to be the nesting area of the Compys. In your house, besides the second freezer full of meat, they also found several tanks filled with mealworms obviously used to feed the Compys as well as what looked like an incubator."

Owen smirked a bit. "Kind of an impressive setup actually."

There was an uneasy smile on Jenkins' face as he rubbed his neck. "Um, thanks sir..."

A slam caused him to start only to wince as Claire glared at him from where she leaned in after having slapped her hands down on the table. "Yes... very impressive at how you hid it. Now then... you want to explain before I have you sent off this island and into a jail?"

For several moments Jenkins stared at her before he looked at Owen and Jess, both of whom now looked unamused. "I... what? Hid it? I had permission to test out my theories on training them!"

Now it was Claire's turn to start a bit in shock. "Wait... you had permission? From _whom_ did you have permission?"

Looking back and forth, Jenkins gulped a little. "Er, I went to Zara and she gave me the green light the day before, you know... I just needed some eggs is all and I found some abandoned nests nearby. Looked like the parents got killed by a flock of Dimorphodons. So I gathered up the eggs and placed them in a incubator I made."

With a concerned look, Owen walked over and grabbed Claire's shoulder. "Claire..." He then turned toward Jenkins and narrowed his eyes. "You do realize how suspicious it sounds what with you claiming that someone who is dead and that we can't ask gave you permission to do this."

Slightly panicked, Jenkins swallowed. "Ask Lowery! He was right there with me and helped me build the flock's collars and my tracker!"

Jess shared a look with Owen before she leaned outside the door and spoke quietly with the ACU member that stood there before she shut the door. Giving her a nod, Owen took a breath. "Even if that is all true, do you realize how stupid it is to try and train animals without any experience? Especially ones like Compys who have attacked humans before?"

Glaring at Owen, Jenkins rose from his seat. "I _do_ have experience though! I worked with crows at the I.Q Zoo growing up training them not to mention other birds! I've also worked with mice and rats while I was studying for my degree! Sure, they might not be big animals like wolves or dogs, or bears, or what have you, but I do have experience!"

Raising an eyebrow, Owen glanced at Claire who quickly checked something on her tablet as Jenkins breathed hard after his explosion. A few seconds later, she quirked an eyebrow and nodded. "Hmm..."

It was just then that Lowery joined them. "You called for me, boss?"

All Claire did was point at a seat. "Sit." Once the confused tech did so, Claire narrowed her eyes at him. "Jenkins here says that he was given permission from Zara to attempt to train some Compys here in the park. And that you were there at the time as well as helping him with his equipment."

Now really confused, Lowery nodded. "Um, yeah? And Zara wasn't the only one that signed off on it, Katashi also signed off on it as the ACU Commander that was needed. I figured that Zara had informed you about it and were getting updates..."

Pinching the bridge of her nose, Claire let out a slow breath as she thought back to that week. Between the coming visit by Simon, what was going on with the Indominus, and her nephews... "Zara didn't inform me about this, but I can guess why that was..." Relaxing a bit, Claire felt her fingers unclench from the table's edge. "But I will be looking into this, of that you can be sure. And if _anything_ is out of place..."

While both men nodded, Owen frowned a bit before he ran his hand through his hair. "Okay... moving on, _what_ exactly were you training them to do exactly. According to... Amelia Taylor, the Compys came out of nowhere and put themselves between her and the... what did you call it, Jess?"

The vet frowned a bit. "It was a Koolasuchus, a amphibian that lived in Australia during the Cretaceous."

Snapping his finger, Owen nodded. "Right, that. The Compys put themselves between it and the two women while making a lot of noise. Amelia also said they seemed to be pressing something on each other's collars."

A little bit more relaxed then he had been a few moments before, Jenkins licked his lips before he answered. "They're basically trained to go around the park and keep an eye out for injured or highly distressed humans. If they find any, they're gather around them while making as much noise as they can to attract attention. If the human is being attacked or in danger, then they'll get between them and whatever the source of danger is. Most of the herbivores wouldn't bother and just wander off and there shouldn't be any large predators... They're also trained to press a button on their collars that sends out a special signal that says there's trouble and that we need to be where they are right away. We then track them on the island using the GPS system built in. It was a bit hard, but the training wasn't too complicated considering."

Intrigued, Claire looked over to a thoughtful Owen. "Well?"

Humming, the Raptor trainer frowned a bit. "Well... it's possible... the Compsognathus isn't _really_ a predator. Sure, if they find something really weak or small, like... something less then a hundred pounds, then sure, they might attack in enmass if they're hungry enough. Besides that... just small animals like rats, insects, as well as carrion. Not really a whole lot of instincts you need to supress there..."

Jenkins shrugged a bit. "I studied wild ones for a while before I even attempted and if they're well fed, they're not really aggressive much. I mostly feed them twice daily on mealworms and other insects and fish which makes them rather happy while cementing my place as flock leader besides them having imprinted on me. I give them chicken and such when training as a treat... wish I could get some dog kibble or mice, InGen had used that with the first flocks."

Her eyes closed, Claire ran a hand through her hair. "Right..."

* * *

About an hour after she had dismissed Jenkins, Claire walked into one of the examination rooms in Jurassic World's veterinary building. To her slight surprise, she could now see the creature that Jess had shot and killed laid out on the large table in the middle of the room. Behind her, Owen let out a low whistle. "Now that is what I call a big salamander..."

Giving him a look, Claire frowned as she turned back to Gerry who had opened it up. "So this is the... Koolasuchus then?"

Pulling off his gloves, Gerry nodded before he absently smacked one of Blue's hands away from where she had been trying to poke the dead amphibian. "Koolasuchus cleelandi to be exact. The species is from the Cretaceous in southern Australia and lived in the rift valleys there, in particular the fast moving rivers where it filled the niche that crocodiles had elsewhere. Too cold for them there though when the climate warmed up, the crocs moved in and the Koolasuchus died out."

As he walked up next to it, Owen examined it with a slight frown. "What do you figure, doc? Eight, nine feet?

With a chuckle, Gerry shook his head. "Closer to ten actually and about a thousand pounds. Quite the powerful creature too if the musculature is to be believe... If it had gotten to those two women, we might have never known what happened. Death, of course, is due to a shot to the neck with the killing blow hitting the skull here." He pointed to a hole that had splinters of bone. "And destroyed much of the brain."

Nodding as she walked around the table, Claire sighed. "How much danger are we in here, doctor?"

Thoughtful, Gerry walked over to the sink and washed his hands and arms. "Depends on how far they've spread. I doubt that they have reached the main river as the outflow channel this one was in doesn't reach it. The river enters a series of pipes about three miles downstream and from there to the treatment plant for the Mosasaur tank. They're definetely not made for overland travel either. _But_ , I would have someone go through the main waterways just the same... especially with what we found."

Claire glanced up at him with her eyebrows furrowed. "You found something?"

A sigh escaped from the vet before he gestured at a nearby fishtank. "We found a larval stage Koolasuchus under some of the river stones nearby." Looking into the tank, both Claire and Owen were surprised to see a three foot long version of the creature on the table, except with feathery gills coming from it's neck. "The fact we got a breeding population of these things worries me."

Murmuring, Owen frowned. "First the Beelzebufo... now these? Two new species of amphibian in only a matter of weeks? Something stinks..."

Gerry glanced at him before he shook his head. "Once is odd, twice is a coincidence. If a third undocumented species shows up..."

Still watching the large amphibian in the tank, Claire frowned. "If a third one shows up then we have a problem. Either someone is creating them and releasing them into the park, or..."

Her eyes wide, Jess straightened. "Or else they've been undiscovered all this time!" Moving toward the computer, Jess began to rapidly type. "If they've been in the park for years without us knowing, then there can only be one place that they would be that has been geographically isolated enough that no one would notice and they would not have escaped until recently."

Slowly, Gerry's eyes widened some as he came up behind Jess. "Of _course!_ "

Confused, Blue looked around as she unwrapped some saltwater toffee that she had snatched. "What they talking about?"

Glancing at her, Owen frowned a bit. "That's what I'm wondering..."

It was then that Gerry brought up a map of Nublar onto a large screen. "You all know the story about Doctor Laura Sorkin, right?"

As she nodded her head, Claire's eyes swept over the map. "Doctor Sorkin was a scientist who worked for InGen starting in 1982. A brilliant geneticist and originally Wu's partner, the two had a falling out due to their arguments about how to clone the dinosaurs. She wanted to create 'Pure-Strain' dinosaurs by using rebuilt DNA strands cross-referenced. Wu, on the other hand, came up with the idea of splicing in DNA from modern creatures such as frogs. His method was both cheaper and quicker so that was what InGen went with... Sorkin was not happy."

Jess nodded. "That's putting it mildly, I've seen her field journal and she continually insulted him, John Hammond, and the board of directors. She also wanted to turn the park into a wildlife preserve of sorts, but with dinosaurs. However, no money in it so she was dismissed from her position and reassigned to the Isla Nublar Field Lab in the Northwest Quadrant of the island with a single lab assistant. That didn't stop her though as she managed through her methods to create both the Dimetrodons and Troodons... But one was modified by InGen after they went forward with it to have the Lysine contingency and the other ordered destroyed... Even though she hid that she hadn't destroyed the Troodons as ordered."

Now standing up and looking at the map, Owen looked across it. "You think that those frogs and the Koolasuchus came from the area of her lab?"

While he ran a hand through his thinning hair, Gerry nodded. "It makes sense. With Wu, they went through batches of non-viable embryos before they gained experience enough to make it work with his method. Laura's was even harder, yet she managed it almost the first time? That makes no sense... _unless_ she had worked it out before with less complex animals, like amphibians. Reptiles would likely be the next step. And with how geographically isolated the area is from the rest of the island..."

Frowning as he looked at the blinking icon for her lab, Owen narrowed his eyes. "Yeah... those high ridges around the valley there would prevent pretty much anything from crossing... But wasn't there reports that there were Raptors and that Rexy reached the area back in 1993?"

His arms crossed, Gerry slowly nodded. "You're right, but the Raptors could have climbed over the ridgelines or even used the small trails there or the tunnels. Rexy though... I remember that during one of the initial surveys they saw her swimming along the coastline for a couple of miles to reach a carcass of a dead whale that was at the bottom of some cliffs. So Rexy _could_ have managed to swim there..." He then frowned as he furrowed his eyebrows. "Though why now..."

After a moment, Claire's eyes widened some and she brought her radio to her mouth. "Lowery, I need you to send me a map of all recent landslides in... the past six months."

There was a crackle and then the tech's voice came over the radio. "Sure thing, but why?"

Still watching the map, Claire glanced down at her tablet and did some work to connect it to the display. "It's a thought I just had." It was a few seconds but then she brought it up on the display and gestured at the map. "Look, there's been several landslides in the area. We had one flood down the outflow channels because a landslide blocked off a stream until it gave way. Pretty much dug a new channel."

With a nod, Owen frowned. "And a landslide could let give some access to creatures in there..." As he hummed, he shook his head. "We'll need to mount an expedition there and see what else the good doctor might have cooked up..."

Claire just let out a breath. "Won't be for a few days at the least though."

* * *

Inside the darkened lab, someone was typing at a computer before a hand reached out and grabbed the chair the person was sitting in. "How much damn longer is it going to be until we get what we came for."

A scowl was on the young woman's face as she glared up at the man. "Look, how about you tell me how easy it is to retrieve data from storage devices from twenty years ago!? We were damn lucky that Sorkin left the information in that sealed safe, but they still degraded you numbskull and I got to be careful. Not to mention that the papers need to be looked through too in case we need to fill in any blanks."

Slowly, the man looked the woman in the face and scowled. "Work faster then, we just lost Jace to Tiamat."

The woman's face paled some as she shuddered. "Fuck... I thought that we gave her a good enough meal to stay away and satisfied for at least a week!? Can't you, I don't know, go out there and draw another dinosaur to where she is to keep her out of our hair?!"

While he stood back up, the man shook his head. "Nah, boss doesn't want us to kill any more dinosaurs. Hell, he would be pissed if he knew that we got a few killed already just to feed Tiamat and keep her away. Especially with how we were only supposed to stop Masrani's and InGen's goons from interfering with our mission."

Sighing, the woman turned back around. "Okay, I'll work as quick as I can, but it'll be a few days, maybe a week at the most to get all the information we need to reverse the evil that those fuckers did."

As he smacked her on the shoulder, the man grinned. "That's the spirit! Remember, we're fighting the good fight here. After all, the Boss wants to get as much of the stuff that Sorkin invented and then return to Site B as soon as possible."

* * *

Nearly jumping, the man on the roof scowled at the owner of the hand on his shoulder. "Don't fucking do that!" Bringing up the goggles to his eyes, he continued to scan a particular area of the river nearby. "I'm nervous enough as it is keeping an eye on that damn monster."

Crouching down next to him, the first man snorted as he lit up a cigarette. "You're way too jumpy, Elric... So then, where is our lovely water goddess?"

With a slight glare, Elric pointed toward a section of tall grass in the water. "Look right there for a few seconds."

Curious as to what he was supposed to see, the man felt his eyebrows climb as he saw the grass shift. "Damn... you really can't see her there, can you?"

As he snorted, Elric continued to watch. "Nope, she's a sneaky fucker, that's for sure. Won't show up on heat sensors and is either there or submerged..." A frown crossed his face. "Though with the loss of prey as most of them took off due to the landslides granting access to the rest of the island... She'll be on the move. We're just lucky that unlike what Sorkin thought, she's not capable of parthenogenesis. Small mercies and such since there's not more." There was a scowl on his face as he gripped the goggles tighter. "Dammit, Adam, tell me that we'll be getting out of here soon! I just know that she can smell us!"

Shaking his head, Adam frowned. "Not for a few days yet..." An interested look crossed his face. "Speaking of... how big is she?"

While he kept an eye out, Elric shrugged. "Can't really get a good estimate from here, but... she's at least forty five feet in length. Debra thinks that she's possibly fifty. Doesn't help that she's usually either submerged in the swampy areas or under the river." Suddenly he grimaced. "And there she goes..."

The two of them watched as the grass moved right to the open water, a small wake formed as the massive creature entered the deeper parts of the river. Clearing his throat, Adam shook his head. "Well, at least everyone is inside now."

* * *

Claire looked up in time from her laptop to see Blue stumble in with a massive grin on her face. The transformed raptor threw the bike helmet off to the side as Owen chuckled and walked in behind her. "So then, you two had a good ride?"

Flopping onto the couch beside her, Owen nodded as he put one arm around her shoulders. "Blue was whooping and hollering the whole way."

The grin that was on Blue's face was so wide it looked like it hurt. "Metal-Beast, motorcycle, go fast! Like running, but different!" Bobbing her head, she turned toward her sisters. "All rumbly too where sat! Was nice!"

Coughing, Owen ignored the amused Claire. "Er, right..." Shaking it off, he turned toward Claire. "So then, you talked about the expedition with the ACU yet?"

A frown crossed over her face. "I did, according to the current acting commander, it will be a few days yet before anything is done as this time we're setting up the teams and bringing over a helicopter with a mounted gun, just in case." Her expression darkened a bit. "I'm not letting a repeat of what happened with the Indominus."

Feeling a hand grasp her own and squeeze Claire turned to see Owen watching her. "That's not going to happen, Claire. Especially with what we can do now."

Blue jumped onto the couch on the other side of Claire to add her bit. "Yes, Claire can now become like Stern-One! Kill anything quick-fast!"

From her spot, Charlie nodded as she tried to ignore the itching in her leg. " _Is very strong! No False-Alpha to worry about either!_ "

However, Claire frowned a bit as she shook her head. "We have at least two species that InGen did not know existed as well as how Doctor Sorkin created at least two others. Considering how secretive she was with her research, I wouldn't put it past her to have something there."

Shrugging as she glanced at him, Owen shrugged. "Nothing big ever showed up there on the thermal maps taken yearly besides the odd herbivore. But we'll come to that when it comes."

Slightly relieved, Claire gave him a soft kiss before she got up. "We should both turn in soon anyways. We both have a early day ahead of us tomorrow. I still have to oversee the preparations and you need to evaluate Jenkins and his training methods."

There was a grimace on Owen's face as he shook his head. "Don't remind me... Kid seems to have done his research tough if the amount of information I got sent about Compy behavior is anything to go by."


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer: Jurassic World is owned by Universal Pictures

" _Hello?_ " -Phone or radio.

"{ _Alpha!_ }" -Dinosaur language.

* * *

Blue was resting in a sunbeam in front of an open window as she enjoyed herself. Besides the sense of taste, one other thing she found she enjoyed about being human was the sense of touch. The heat of the sun warming her skin combined with the feeling of the breeze was something that she found enjoyable. Suddenly, a shadow crossed over her face and she opened her eyes to see Echo staring down at her. "{ _Is alright? Was calling name, did not answer._ }"

With a smile, Blue reached up and gently scratched her sister under the jaw, which Echo as usual found nice. "Deep in thoughts because of being human for days, but will soon be able to become True-Hunter, Raptor, again! Cannot wait! But still..." There was a curious look as she held her hand above her and slowly turned it first one way or the other. Despite being human, Blue still had many senses to the same degree she did as a Raptor. So her eyes easily tracked each of the dust motes that drifted around her hand. "Can think even better now, but do not know which like better, Human or Raptor..."

Curious, Delta walked over best that she could, even though her bones had mostly knitted she still took things slowly, and sniffed Blue's hand. "{ _Being human that good? As good as being True-Hunter?_ }"

That question caused Blue to cock her head to the side in some thought before she answered. "... Maybe? Is very different from being True-Hunter, same but different. I like it a lot."

From where she laid on her nest, Charlie stopped trying to get at her healing leg, despite the cone around her neck, and nodded. "{ _Is very interesting! Want to become human too! Cannot wait to do so!_ }"

Excited, Blue nodded herself, her eyes wide and a grin on her face. "Cannot wait either! Will help sisters learn about being human!"

As she snorted, Echo shook her head. "{ _Is not expert in being Not-Prey!_ }"

Hissing back, Blue showed her much less fearsome human teeth. "Know more than you, Echo!"

Before the two could get into a spat, Delta got between them. "{ _Echo! Know not to fight Not-Prey! Even if Blue be True-Hunter, as Not-Prey could get hurt!_ }" Ignoring the grumbles from Echo and the annoyed look on Blue, Delta rounded onto the Beta of the pack. "{ _Know much about being Not-Prey, but not know everything!_ }"

Sharing a look, the two grumbled toward each other before they calmed down. It was then that Barry entered with what looked like children's books. "Okay, my Blueberry, Owen wants you to blend in so today we're working on your reading skills..." 

* * *

Hearing a knock, Claire looked up from her computer at the door and frowned at the time. 'It's already One in the afternoon? Ugh... going to need something to eat...' After a moment, she shook her head as she heard another knock. "Come in." The door opened to reveal Ami walking in with a baby sling across her chest. "Ami?"

Suddenly, a small reddish head poked out of the sling and the mouth opened as the young Ceratosaur's tongue hung out. "{ _Pack-Leader Claire!_ }"

With a chuckle, Claire smiled at the little dinosaur. "Hello to you too, Sunset." She then turned her attention to the Ceratosaur's handler who seemed puzzled before she shook it off. Claire then gestured at the chair. "Well? Come on, take a seat." Once Ami had sat down, Claire cleared her throat. "Now then... how can I help you, Ami?"

Taking a breath, the young woman took a breath. Even if Claire's reputation had improved, more then a few of her employees were wary of her. Not least because of the rumour she can make someone who has gotten her annoyed feel like a predator was watching them. "Well, Sunset has been allowed to leave the Veterinary Building now, as long as I bring her in for a daily checkup. But... I was wondering where I would put her."

Now that question caused Claire to raise an eyebrow as she leaned back in thought. "I would have thought that you would place her in the nursery. While our... _issues_ with InGen at the moment mean we only have a skeleton staff of those able to deal with young dinosaurs, we still have two of the nursery rooms that should be available at this time." Taking the confusion as a question, Claire shook her head. "We unfortunately took some deaths in both the Gentle Giants Petting Zoo and the Anlylosaur and Apatasaur herds. So while those took up three rooms, we still have two."

Confused, Ami shook her head. "Um, but the Stegoceratops and the Ankylodocus both have rooms of their own."

All her movement stilled, Claire blinked. "... I'm sorry, the what?"

For a brief moment, a shudder ran up Ami's back and she cleared her throat. "The Stegoceratops and Ankylodocus? The two herbivorous genetic hybrid species? I remember Jessica telling me about them and how it was lucky that they hatched... _that_ day and not the week after or else they might have been left here and starved."

It almost seemed like the room itself held it's breath for what would happen next. Though Ami swore that there was a flash of amber in Claire's eyes as the red haired woman stood up with a growl. "Follow me..." Ami scrambled after her and as they passed the control room, Claire glared over at Lowery. "Get me anything on the Stegoceratops and Ankylodocus yesterday, Lowery. And get Owen on the phone and tell him to get his ass over to the nursery..." Pausing for a moment, Claire nodded. "And get Jess and Gerry there as well."

Knowing that he was already on thin ice due to what had happened with Jenkins, Lowery scrambled to do as told while Claire strode out of view.

* * *

Reaching the area of the nursery, Claire took a deep breath as she noticed Jessica walk out into the hall with a clipboard. Said woman seemed to surprised to see that her boss was there and gave an unsure smile as she saw a confused and nervous Ami behind her. "Miss Dearing...?"

Claire glanced into the room and for the first time saw the "Stegoceratops". She noted that there were four of them just walking around the room before she turned back toward Jessica. "Your office. _Now._ "

Now really unsure, Jessica nodded and guided the two toward her office. Claire's teeth were grinding so much that she did not hear Sunset softly murmur. "{ _Pack-Leader Claire scary when mad like all Big-Hunters..._ }"

A moment later, Sunset snuggled deeper into the sling as the group entered the office. Once the door was closed, Claire rounded on Jessica. "Why was I not informed about the genetic hybrids?! I just found out about them today as I was trying to set up a nursery for Ami here to use for Sunset."

Surprised, Jessica glanced at Ami who shook her head and shrugged. "I was not aware that you weren't informed actually about the hybrids..." Walking around her desk, Jessica brought up her messages and scrolled down before she stopped. "Here we go... Okay, we sent word of them hatching on December 20, the same day that... well, you know what happened. So because we could not get in contact with you, we informed Zara instead and she said that she would inform you once she got in contact with you... Then we performed normal protocols with hatchlings and sent you progress reports for the first month after hatching. After that since they were out of the normal danger, we handled it in house here. Mike's a pretty damn good vet after all."

Now confused herself and feeling some of her anger draining, Claire walked around the desk and looked at the screen. Sure enough, there were a weekly message to her. That was not the issue though. "... Why are these all marked as low priority?"

There was a knock on the door and they looked up to see Jess there along with her father. After a few seconds, they were let in and the two vets looked around. "What seems to be the problem, Claire?" Once informed, both of them just boggled. "WHAT!?"

Rubbing the bridge of her nose, Claire took a breath and let it out before she turned to Jessica. "Now, I'll ask again, why are all of these marked as low priority?"

Confused, Jessica shrugged her shoulders some. "It's protocol, unless one of the infants is extremely ill, shows signs of being unable to survive due to probable genetic defects, or another major issue pops up, any status reports on them are marked as low priority when sent off for the first month. After that month is up, we can be reasonably certain that there is not going to be an issue, so any other status reports by the caretakers are sent to me to look over as well as InGen. Only if a major issue pops up would we send a status report to upper management unless we're asked."

All Claire did was to continue to pinch her nose. Jessica was a good employee and head of her section, just a little too by the book in certain cases. "Did it ever occur to you that due to being hybrids that perhaps their status reports should be assigned a higher priority?" Suddenly part of her realized what was just said. "Wait, why would InGen get reports?"

Her eyebrows furrowed, Jessica shook her head. "Well, in the case of the Indominus we were told that, no, hybrids are to be treated with the same level of care as any other dinosaur. As to InGen..." She frowned a bit. "Those were also orders that came down to us from higher up after the Indominus was born... not that we really dealt with it besides some bits and pieces." With a frown, Jessica motioned toward where the Stegoceratops were. "Hell, I got told that some of the ACU soldiers went through the labs looking for the eggs the hybrids were in before they left, escorting Wu out."

That caused Claire, Gerry, and Jess to look up as the red head fixed Jessica with a gaze that caused her to shiver a bit. "They were looking for the eggs?"

Nodding, Jessica coughed a bit. "Well, yes. We're a distance from the labs though and I was informed by one of my workers about what happened. As soon as we got the evacuation order though, I locked the entire nursery down and bunkered in with a skeleton crew as per protocol..." A frown crossed her face as she thought it over. "Though I do remember that an InGen soldier tried to get inside shortly after I performed the lockdown... I swear that he was about to start shooting the windows when he took off the way he came. Don't know why though..."

Claire just shared a look with Gerry and Jess, both of whom had been informed as to what happened with Hoskins and InGen as Claire had ordered them not to cooperate with any InGen employees unless she was there. Standing up, the red haired park operations manager turned toward Jessica. "That was a good decision. However, why did you not think to inform me verbally about the hybrids? Especially during that first month?"

In reply, Jessica shook her head. "During that first month I was operating on a skeleton crew so I never saw you as I was handling some of the other duties. If I was not here taking care of what few young dinosaurs we had, I was eating or sleeping... and sometimes I was doing both here instead of heading home."

Seeing that Owen was just outside the door, Claire barely kept from letting her emotions show as she nodded. "Just to inform you, I'll be calling a meeting later today for _all_ mid-level and above employees... I do not want any more surprises..." Getting a nod, Claire turned toward Jess and Gerry. "I hate to increase your workloads, but even though I trust Doctor Smith, I'll need you both to look over the hybrids. I do not want another... incident."

Giving her a gruff nod, Gerry frowned. "I'd be asking to do so even if you hadn't asked."

With a nod of her own, Claire walked out and gestured for Owen to follow her. Once they were a distance away, Claire buried her face in his chest and let out a moan. "I cannot believe this... Yet another screw up laid at my feet..."

Now raising his eyebrow, Owen hid his wince as he felt his ribs creak a bit from how tightly she had her arms around him. 'Yeah... she's a lot stronger then before...' Clearing his throat, he looked down at her. "Mind telling me what's going on?" There was silence from him for several moments after she told him and Owen closed his eyes. "More hybrids... well, at least Hoskins' bunch did not get their paws on them. And Jessica would make sure that they would be socialized enough that they won't develop the problems that the Indominus did."

There was disbelief on Claire's face as she pulled away. "Owen... I didn't even know that these hybrids even existed for the past _four months_. There is no damn way that I should not have caught this!"

Much to her surprise, Owen shook his head. "You said that the reports were all marked as low priority, correct?" At her slow nod, he continued. "And that said reports were only sent during the first month?" Another nod before he leaned in. "The same month in which you were getting high priority messages in the dozens daily as well as spending almost all your time in meetings after meetings? Or giving interviews to the press? Also, if InGen was receiving reports this long then you need to inform Tim, because he's going to make sure that heads are going to roll."

As the tension bled out of her body, all Claire could do was relax. "That just highlights an issue that I need to deal with sooner rather then later..." Owen frowned a bit which caused her to sigh. "There's just too much to keep track of for one person. That was why I had Zara as an assistant as she would keep track of lower priority items and..."

Understanding, Owen nodded. "And you've been putting off getting a new assistant since her... death." Knowing how the death of her friend had affected her, Owen's expression softened a little. "If you need anything..."

However, Claire shook her head as she took a deep breath. "No. This is something that I need to do myself, I owe her that much..."

* * *

Blue watched as outside rain came down in curiosity as the normal tropical rainstorm passed on by. For several moments, the transformed Raptor watched before she got up which attracted the attention of her sisters as Charlie cocked her head to the side. "{ _Blue? What you doing?_ }"

There was a small smile on Blue's face as she headed toward the door. "Going outside, want to feel the rain on my skin and see what is like."

Echo though got up with a frown on her face. "{ _Why? Should stay here like Barry said. Coming with treats!_ }"

However, Blue only shook her head. "Not going far, just out into the rain!" Before they could stop her, she ran out the door and into the rain. For several moments Blue stood there in the warm downpour as it soaked her clothes and hair within seconds as she closed her eyes. Much to her amazement she could feel each fat drop of rain as it hit her and rushed off her frame. "Feels... Good..."

With a short, Delta stuck her head out of the window. "{ _Blue crazy Beta! Why get wet?!_ }"

All she got was a large grin from Blue as she moved the bangs plastered to her forehead to the side. "Is not crazy! Is fun!" Her sisters only shook their heads as Blue closed her eyes and tilted her head back before she stretched out her arms. Slowly, she twirled in place before a shout caught her attention. "Daddy?"

Hopping out of his jeep, Owen scowled as he ran toward her. "Blue, what in the hell are you doing out here?!"

Not having noticed that Owen was trying his best to focus on her face, and not how her clothes were plastered to her skin, Blue hopped. "Wanted to feel skywater, rain, on skin! Wanted to know how it felt as human and it feels amazing!"

While he rolled his eyes, Owen reached out to grab her. "Great, now time to get back inside."

But Blue hopped out of his reach and let out a bark like she did as a Raptor. "No! Want to stay outside some more! Chase me, Daddy!"

Facepalming, Owen shook his head before he took off after the laughing teen. "Dammit Blue! I'm getting soaked and it's all your fault! Now get back here you little shit!"

Up at the window, the other three Raptors watched the chase in interest before Echo blinked. "{ _Looks fun, want to try as Not-Prey._ }"

Charlie let out a barking laugh as she watched Owen try to grab Blue, only to slip and fall into the mud. "{ _Look at Alpha! All dirty and wet!_ }"

Having heard her, Owen growled a bit as he doubled his effort to catch his "Daughter"...

* * *

Squirming under the rough rubbing of the towel, Blue laughed. "Stop that!"

Owen only growled a bit as he ignored the wet towel draped over his shoulders. "What in the hell possessed you to go out into a rain shower, Blue!"

Her eyes twinkling, Blue let out bark. "Saw on tee-vee! Looked fun, wanted to try and feel rain on skin. Why you not tell me it feels good on skin?"

As he continued to rub her dry, Owen rolled his eyes. "Showers feel good, Blue. Rainstorms not so much. Especially as I don't want you catching a cold."

Next thing he knew, Blue had twisted around and stuck her tongue out. "But rain is warm, not cold! And cannot catch cold, only cold things!"

A sigh escaped from Owen before both turned to hear the door open and Barry step in. It said something that he only raised an eyebrow at the sight that greeted him. "What happened here now?"

There was a dry tone to Owen's voice as he gave a small glare to Blue. "Seems that Blue here wanted to pretend that she was some kind of fish and went out to swim in a tropical rainstorm."

Confused, Blue looked at him strangely. "But is human, not fish. And needs to go into water to swim, not in rain."

Barry only chuckled some as he entered the room and set a bag down. "It's a figure of speech, Blue. It means that you got wet enough that you might as well have gone swimming." He ignored the confusion on Blue's and the other raptors' faces as he turned toward Owen. "Didn't expect you back though so I don't have anything."

However, Owen waved him off. "Got something to eat earlier. Especially after what happened in the nursery." Seeing the look, the Raptor trainer only shook his head. "I'll tell you later. But is that what I think it is?" At the nod and grin, Owen shook his head. "I don't know, Barry. Blue did go outside and wouldn't come in when I told her..."

Chuckling, Barry shook his head as he grabbed the plastic cup. "Considering how much trouble she could be getting into, Owen? That's rather mild." Hearing grumbles in reply, Barry handed it to Blue who sniffed it. "Here you go."

Suddenly, Blue stilled as a familiar smell hit her nostrils and her pupils narrowed. "Oreos?"

While he nodded and grabbed some treats for the other Raptors from the bag, Barry chuckled. "Oreo milkshake... In other words, you can drink the Oreos."

Disbelieving, Blue shook her head. "Drinking blessed Oreos?! Madness!" Seeing Owen reach for it, she turned around and held it tightly. "No, is mine!" Her eyes still narrowed in suspicion as Barry laughed, Blue took a sip before eyes widened. "But is true! Maybe good madness!"

Watching as she gulped it down, Owen groaned. 'She's going to get a brain freeze... Lovely...'

* * *

Ami was cutting a steak into small strips when she heard a low whine and looked over to see Sunset inside of a dog basket watching her. "Just wait a little bit longer, Sunset. I'll have your meal ready soon enough."

Letting out a snort, Sunset began to look around the room in interest as outside rain pounded against the small living area in the worker's village. As she looked up, she stared at the bright thing in the ceiling. 'Is like sun? But does not move...'

However, a moment later her attention was caught by the sound of music and Ami reached over and tapped the phone. "Hello? Ami Kobayashi here."

When Claire's voice drifted through the phone's speaker, Sunset perked up. " _Good evening, Ami, it's Claire, I was just checking in on you and Sunset to see how you are both holding up._ "

A soft laugh escaped from Ami as she continued to cut small slices of meat. "We're doing a little bit better though we got wet coming in." The sound of crooning could be heard as she shook her head. "I hope that you don't mind, Miss Dearing, but I have the phone on speaker as I make Sunset's dinner."

Sunset's tongue lolled out as she looked around for Claire. "{ _Pack-Leader Claire!_ }"

One could almost hear the smile in Claire's voice as she spoke up a bit. " _Well, hello there, Sunset. And how is one of our newest family members doing?_ "

Puzzled over what she meant, Sunset still answered as she continued to search for where Claire might be. "{ _Is very good! But very hungry too! Want food!_ }"

With another soft laugh, Claire turned her attention back onto Ami. " _Well now, seems that she might be a little bit hungry now._ " More then a little surprised at how Claire might know that fact, Ami hummed for a moment. " _If possible, could you lay out what you have done so far since Sunset will be staying with you?_ "

Smiling, Ami chuckled. "Well, right now I have her in a comfortable basket close to the kitchen and I have some lovely beef for my growing girl." Sunset perked up a bit. "After she eats though, I'll be performing the exercises for her leg that Doctor Harding told me to so that it can heal as well as possible. I'll also change some of the wrappings on her as well before I take her into my bedroom."

There was a slight tone of worry in Claire's voice a moment later. " _Isn't that somewhat dangerous though?_ "

However, Ami shook her head a bit as she put the strips onto a plate. "Not really, I bought one of those folding fences down at the market and have it attached to both sides of a corner which will be Sunset's space. She won't be getting through that as they're secured into the wall. I also have the floor covered in a bunch of blankets and towels, so it should be nice and soft for her to rest on." Putting the place into the microwave, she put it on enough seconds to just warm up the meat on the plate. "Tomorrow, I'll feed her some more and then put her through her exercises."

Claire could be heard humming a bit. " _That does sound rather good... Well, I suppose that I'll leave this in your quite capable hands, Miss Kobayashi. And Sunset?_ " The Ceratosaurus looked up. " _Be good for Ami here, she's only taking care of you and helping you to grow up big and strong._ "

In reply, Sunset snapped her jaws. "{ _Do not worry, Pack-Leader Clair! I follow Ami-caregiver!_ }"

With a slight chuckle, Claire's voice drifted through again. " _I know that you will... well, good night, Miss Kobayashi, Sunset. See you in the morning..._ "

After getting a response, the phone let out a click as Claire hung up. There was a smile on Ami's face as she took the plate from the microwave and turned onto the local Park station. "There we go... some nice music on for our dinner, hmm?"

Sunset just watched her and gently took each of the warm strips of meat offered to her.

* * *

With the powerful storm lashing the bungalow outside, both Claire and Owen had gone into the Raptor's room to sleep. However, what they did not expect was for them to be kept awake by a thrashing teenaged girl. As he blinked away tiredness, Owen finally sighed and sat up as he looked at Blue who was laying stretched out on her nest with arms and legs akimbo. "Blue? What's the matter?"

A bolt of lightning illuminated the room as Blue growled. "Stupid human body, won't be comfortable and let me sleep."

Cracking a yawn, Claire looked over at the pile of blankets and fabric that Blue was using and then sighed. "I was honestly wondering how you could even sleep in there." Her mind not running on all cylinders, Claire looked down at the mattress and then grunted before she patted the area between her and Owen. "Come here?"

Both Owen and Blue though looked at her. "Huh?"

Another yawn escaped her before the red head patted the area again. "You probably can't sleep because of the way your nest is. Now come over here and lay between us."

Her eyes wide, Blue hissed as she looked at the door. "Can't! Needs to protect Pack from danger at den opening."

Grunting, Claire narrowed her eyes at the transformed Raptor who cringed a bit at the glare. "Blue... nothing is going to attack us in here, we got the door locked right now. And if you keep up with your tossing and turning, I won't get any sleep and if I'm tired with everything that I need to handle tomorrow..."

If it was not for her tone, the lightning outside illuminated Claire's face to reveal two slit pupiled eyes which changed Blue's tone. The transformed Raptor got up and, much too the tired amusement of her sister, walked over before laying down between Claire and Owen. "Okay..."

Owen rubbed his face though as he looked at his girlfriend. "You sure about this, Claire? I mean..." Seeing the look on her face, he rapidly backtracked. "Right, right... I'll be shutting up now."

Nodding, Claire grunted a bit as she laid down and embraced Blue close to her. "Good, now go to sleep or _else_..."

After she had drifted off, Blue and Owen shared a look before the Raptor trainer shrugged. "I'm not going to get her pissed off at me."

Laying down, Owen was soon asleep as Blue looked between the two with the strangest feeling of safety. Not long after, Blue also drifted off herself.

* * *

Ami jolted away and blinked as she looked around for what had woken her. "Hmm?" Lightning flashed and thunder boomed again before she heard the sound. Said sound being a loud screech of fear that clawed into her ears and caused her to jump from her bed. "Sunset? Are you okay?" Through the dimness of the room, she could just make out a small form having squeezed itself as far into the corner as was possible. "Oh, baby girl, you scared?"

However, when she reached the fence Ami jumped back a little at Sunset snapping at her. "{ _Go away! Bad Danger-Prey! Make boom-sticks stop! Momma?! MOMMA?!_ }"

Backing away from the thrashing young dinosaur, Ami reached over for the lamp on the desk next to Sunset's area and flicked it on bathing the room in light. She then crouched down to where Sunset could better see her. "Hey, hey... it's me, baby girl. Nothing to be scared of."

It took Sunset a moment to realize that it was Ami as her chest heaved. "{ _Ami-Caretaker?_ }" Another bolt of lightning flashed through the room and the whole place shook from the thunder which caused Sunset to squeal in fear. Forgetting that her foot was injured and that she still had not gotten used to walking with only one eye, Sunset lunged to her feet and tried to rush for Ami. However, Sunset didn't make it far before her leg gave out. "{ _AHHHH! BAD BOOMS! BAD BOOMS!_ }"

Her eyes wide, Ami unlatched the fence and pushed it to the side before she gathered the shaking and whimpering Sunset into her arms. "Shhh... shhh... it's okay, Sunset. I'm here, I'm here." Grabbing a blanket as she felt the small heart of the dinosaur pounding, Ami gently held the frightened Ceratosaurus to her chest. "Hey, relax now baby girl, I won't let the thunder get you..." Getting up, she carried Sunset over to her own bed and sat down before she turned on her iPod and turned on some music at as high of a volume to help drown out the storm as she could. "See? I won't let the big bad thunder and lightning hurt you."

Slowly, Sunset calmed down a bit as she was rocked back and forth. "{ _Ami-C-c-caretaker..._ }" Eventually, the storm passed and Sunset fell asleep as Ami continued to rock her back and forth as the music played in the room.

* * *

Claire leaned against the jeep as she waited. A glance at her watch told her that it had been an hour since she had transformed into her Tyrannosaurus form and roared. Despite seeming not to pay attention, her mind was focused on the wilderness around her. Suddenly a boom could be heard and a glance at a puddle showed ripples. Turning her head, Claire was met with the sight of a familiar being coming from the trees. "Rexy."

The old Tyrannosaur snorted and shook her head as she looked at her. "{ _Tall-Daughter, it is good to see you again._ }"

Waiting until she was close, Claire reached up and stroked along the massive head. "And it's good to see you as well... I just wish that it was under better circumstances."

Now that caught Rexy's attention as did the smell of nervousness. "{ _... What is wrong and what do I need to fight and kill?_ }"

Part of Claire felt like laughing at the bluntness of the statement but held herself back, even though she knew that Rexy would not be too insulted. However, there was still a smile on Claire's face for a few moments before it was wiped off and it turned into a frown. "I take it that you've seen the smoke coming from out to sea?"

Snorting, the Tyrannosaur shook her head. "{ _Yes, smoke from far away in Big-Water. Smell bad like smoke from rocks near High-Mountain. Know what it is?_ }" With a sigh, Claire slowly nodded as she brought out a large tablet and gestured for Rexy to come closer before she began the prepared video. Said video showed clips from eruptions from around the world and the devestation that they could cause. Rexy took this all in and it ended with video from a chopper that overflew Nublar and out to where the new island was forming. "{ _I see, is very dangerous but is far away, do not see need to worry._ }"

As she let out a breath, the human pointed toward Mount Sibo, the "High-Mountain" as Rexy and other dinosaurs knew it. "That is a volcano just like where the smoke is coming from, but it's asleep. The one out in the sea could wake it up which would be bad for the island..."

Rexy only growled. "{ _But cannot fight, too big and strong. Like Big-Storms that break trees, can only hide. Even I cannot defeat such things, Tall-Daughter._ }"

However, Claire shook her head. "You won't be able to hide anywhere on the island from this if it happens, Rexy. And while us Not-Prey could run away from the island and across the... Big-Water, you can't. They wouldn't let me take you with us."

Before she could continue, Rexy cut her off. "{ _Then I die. But I know what would kill me now._ }"

The red haired woman surprised her as she screamed at her. "I WON'T LET YOU DIE! NOT LIKE THAT!" As she calmed down some, she growled in a manner that had the Rex's immediate approval. "You remember the amulet that I had? The... metal thing? It allowed me to turn into a T-Rex and..."

After she trailed off to try and think of a way to explain it, Rexy surprised her by finishing the thought. "{ _Use it for me to become Not-Prey like Tall-Daughter and Swift-Hunter Handler... Makes sense._ }"

Even though she was surprised, Claire still continued. "Um... yes! Actually, that is what I was thinking of. Then if we need to leave, you could become Not-Prey and we get you off without anyone actually noticing. I know that it's running away but-"

She got cut off by a snort of amusement. "{ _Not stupid, Tall-Daughter. Know fights when one can only run and live. Not ashamed of doing so against... Volcano. Would rather live than die any day against thing that cannot be defeated. Also, always wondered what like to be Not-Prey._ }" Moving in close to the jeep, Rexy looked inside. "{ _Have metal-scale with?_ }"

Now relaxed, Claire only patted Rexy on the side of her snout. "Well... right now Blue has it on and that's how we... er... found out that it would let dinosaurs become Not-Prey like us..."

For a moment there was silence before Rexy dropped her jaw and a choking sound came out. It took Claire a moment to realize that Rexy was _laughing_ at what she had said. "{ _Ha! Blue-One clever, but crazy! But more clever than thought!_ }" Once she stopped, Rexy shifted her head and gently nuzzled Claire, though it still nearly knocked her off her feet. "{ _Bring Metal-Scale when you wish. I take it and become Not-Prey like you. Show me Not-Prey places and things._ }"

Smiling, Claire only nodded a bit as she put her arms around the snout. "I'll be looking forward to it..."


	13. Chapter 13

Disclaimer: Jurassic World is owned by Universal Pictures

" _Hello?_ " -Phone or radio.

"{ _Alpha!_ }" -Dinosaur language.

* * *

The mighty predator strode forward, the vegetation parting around her body. Injured though she was, there was none that could stand against her might. For far too long, she had relied on kills of others for food. It had hurt her pride as a hunter, but no more! Now she would hunt. She ignored the smaller prey that scurried past her taloned feet. There was another though that she was hunting and she could tell that she was getting close. Finally, her massive head parted the vegetation as she found her prey.

There!

At the other end, feeding on fallen fruit, was what she had been hunting. While the injury of her leg throbbed painfully, she was able to ignore it in favor of filling her belly. Slowly, yet surely, she stalked her unaware future meal as it fed. However, her foot gave a painful throb and she hissed, which alerted the prey. Twisting, it turned its armored and horned head toward her. For several moments all was silent as the two mighty titans faced each other. Even the two noisy giants nearby stopped all noise to better focus on the coming confrontation.

Then it began as the hunter lunged toward her prey before it skittered to the side and lashed out some with its horn. Backing off a little, the hunter gave a roar as the prey hissed back. And so they continued their battle. It was a waltz as old as time itself between predator and prey.

A dance of death.

Back and forth their battle went, but neither the hunter or the hunted would give way. Her leg throbbing, the Hunter knew that it did not have much time before it would need to break off. But then.. there! Right there, her prey made a mistake and she lunged! Grabbing the horn in her jaw, she lifted the beastly prey off the ground and flipped it. Now with it's unarmored underside exposed, she placed one foot on it as it struggled and roared her victory to the world.

She brought down her head then and grabbed her prey in her crushing jaws and with a mighty heave, lifted the still flailing creature of the ground before she bit down...

* * *

Owen had been meeting with Ami to discuss Sunset and they had met in the small park in the employee area. Like some other green areas, the work on the rest of the park meant that it had begun to become a bit overgrown. The grass for example reached their knees in some areas. Both of them had been discussing some training methods for Sunset once she was more fully healed when they had heard a sound and turned to see Sunset facing off against one of the large Nublar Elephant Beetles in a patch of shorter grass.

It must have been feeding on a banana that had been dropped by a worker and the two handlers sat back and watched as the two faced off against each other. Eventually though, the larger Sunset had managed to flip the beetle onto its back before she placed one foot on it and gave a squeaky roar. Softly chuckling as the small Ceratosaurus picked up the beetle in her mouth, Ami shook her head. "At least she's enjoying herself and she's able to move around a bit."

Nodding his head, Owen chuckled. "Yeah, that's actually a rather good sign for her. It shows that she's not about to let her injuries slow her down in the slightest." He then pulled up his radio and spoke into it as Ami grimaced as Sunset crushed the beetle in her jaw. "Hey, Lowery, tell me that you got that?"

A laugh came over the radio from the Control Room before Lowery answered. " _You kidding me? I've watched the whole thing! That was just plain awesome and I am **so** posting that onto the Jurassic World YouTube channel. I foresee so many views of that video._ "

Raising an eyebrow, Owen shook his head some as Sunset gulped down the now dead beetle. "Don't you need to run that sort of thing past Claire first?"

There was another snort, but before Lowery could say anything, Vivian spoke up. " _There's usually so much video from the Park that Miss Dearing lets us pick and choose what dinosaur videos to upload. The two of us do manage the channel after all. But that? I expect that more then a few will fall in love with her. Good press and stuff I guess as well._ "

As she shook her head, Ami watched as the now full Sunset glanced at her before she walked over to a fern and laid down. "I wonder what exactly goes through that mind of hers..."

With a chuckle, Owen shook his head. "Who knows? I've raised Raptors from babies and I couldn't tell you." Still shaking his head, he turned toward Ami and gestured around them. "Since it's pretty much certain that we'll be giving her a paddock to call her own, what ideas do you have?"

Frowning just a bit, Ami gestured at the paper in front of her. "This is what I was thinking of..."

* * *

Ignoring the two giants, the mighty Hunter looked around her hunting ground. All of the prey in the area should be aware of her presence. However, the Hunter's hunger and battlelust was satiated by her prey. With a final look around, the Hunter walked over to a tall plant and laid down in the soft leaves on the ground. Cracking her jaw a bit with a yawn, the Hunter shifted into a more comfortable position before she slowly fell asleep, the warmth of the sun high above as well as her now full belly lulling her into a restful slumber as her foot continued to heal.

Her final thoughts before sleep fully claimed her was that perhaps she would hunt again once she awoke, or perhaps she would get a nice full meal from her giant. And maybe a bone. Bones were always nice...

* * *

Walking into the room, Claire nodded at both representatives of Axis Boulder Engineering and Timack Construction. The two companies were owned by Masrani and did all construction and engineering work on the island. Another nod was given toward the screens which showed Simon and Tim. "I'm sorry for running a bit late, but I had a bit of an engagement this morning that put me behind a little."

However, Simon only waved her off. "It's not an issue, Claire. All of us here understand."

There was a slight smile on Claire's face as internally she shook her head. 'I rather doubt that.' Once she sat down though she was all business. "Now then, you wanted to know the status of the new attractions?"

Shuffling some papers on his desk, Tim frowned a bit. "It says here that you've already broken ground on the Dimetrodon Paddock? And that in the next few months you will be doing the same with the other agreed upon attractions?"

As she nodded, Claire gestured to the representatives. "I'll leave Mr. James and Miss Bell explain."

Clearing her throat, the female of two who represented Axis nodded as she used the built in touch screen and brought up a schematic onto the main screen. "During our consultations with various zoos and wildlife parks, it was generally agreed upon that this was all that was needed for the Dimetrodons." On the screen was a picture of an enclosure that was sunk down and chainlink fences around it. "This is roughly what the average monitor lizard or crocodile enclosure would look like. In fact, this was what was suggested to us. Now, it would save a lot of time and money, _but_..."

Slowly Simon nodded. "It doesn't exactly scream safety."

On his own screen, Tim nodded. "If one of the Dimetrodons manages to climb over the top, we could have an issue. Or, considering some of the issues we've had, someone might climb _in_."

All those there knew what he meant as there were attempts by people to get inside the paddocks. While some were from animal rights activists wishing to free the animals, there were others that wanted to kill them. Not everyone agree with bringing back extinct animals and saw the attempts as an affront or danger. Grimacing, Claire could shake her head as one particular incident came to mind where someone had tried to poison Rexy by injecting the goat with a toxin. 'Thankfully they were caught...'

Meanwhile, Bell continued as she brought up a new schematic. "This was what we decided upon though. As you can see, we're using two feet of reinforced concrete walls with three layered shatter proof glass 'Windows' every five feet with each one about ten feet long and seven feet tall. On top of the walls we're going with a 'V' shaped roof. Because of that, it'll be much harder for anything to climb in or out. The enclosure itself will be about a hundred feet long and thirty wide to give the animals enough room." Using her finger, she focused on the inside. "Now the interior will be sloped downwards, like a bowl."

Taking her cue, Claire nodded. "This will give visitors a much better view of the animals. The bowl continues downwards and will be swampy at the bottom. However, we are also adding a... group of concrete 'Tree trunks' that will lean against each other. The Dimetrodons can climb up onto them and bask."

Pat James then took over. "I've talked about it with my crew and according to our estimates, if I was to use twenty of my employees, I can have the paddock built in about three months. Less if I add bring in more or pull some guys from other projects."

Considering it, Simon shared a look with Tim. "We'll consider letting more workers onto the island. But I think that helps ease some of the worries. Tim?"

On his own screen, Tim nodded. "Agreed. Now then, what about the Dilophosaur Paddock?"

Bringing up another schematic, Bell nodded. "The Dilophosaur Paddock will be built along the same lines as what was planned for the Indominus. Four feet of reinforced concrete and the viewing area will have three layered shatter-proof glass. The major difference is that the walls will only be thirty feet high and the viewing area about ten feet above ground level. The viewing area will also run along twenty feet of the paddock to better let visitors see. One thing that we're adding though is an automated cleaning system for the windows so no one needs to continuously go in to clean them of globs of venom."

As he nodded, James took up the explanation. "Because we're using the same basic design as what would be for the Indominus Paddock, we're able to use the materials such as the molded concrete blocks. That will shave several months off what is needed for it alone."

Glancing at the notes, Tim frowned a bit. "It says here that it was decided to place it on the east side of Tyrannosaurus Kingdom... Any particular reason for that?"

There was a smile on Claire's face as she leaned back. "The west side of Tyrannosaurus Kingdom will be the future site for the Ceratosaur Paddock. Because of her injuries, it was decided that our Ceratosaur can't be placed in Cretaceous Cruise. So we'll be giving her a paddock of her own."

A moment later, Simon's face lit up in a smile. "Ah yes, Jurassic World's newest sweetheart." Seeing the surprise on Claire's face, he shook his head. "It seems that Sunset, that is her name, right?" After the still surprised Claire nodded, Simon continued. "It seems that the pictures of Sunset along with her story have created something of a media storm. In fact, a video of her on Jurassic World's YouTube channel uploaded today has already gotten thousands of views in just a few hours."

Tim slowly nodded in agreement. "She has done more for the image of Jurassic World then any attraction outside of Rexy herself. And her story has done far more good in regards to stopping the poaching then any seizure of poachers. Quite the good job there, Claire."

Shaking his head, Simon's smile widened a bit. "I have to warn you, in a few days you may get an email from Marketing. There's noise of making a stuffed Sunset toy to try and capitalize on it."

Having shaken herself out of her surprise, Claire coughed a bit. "If they do, I'd suggest that any money go towards stopping the poachers and protecting the animals on Sorna and nearby islands."

For a few seconds, both Simon and Tim turned thoughtful and turned toward each other as the younger man nodded. "It _would_ help quite a bit in that area..."

Nodding in agreement, Simon slowly hummed. "And more then that, it would be free good publicity... Yes, this could work out rather well. Maybe a news crew?"

After some more thought, Tim shook his head. "Something to think about and discuss later." He then turned toward Claire. "I do hope that you are already planning her enclosure. From memory, the theropods grow rather rapidly."

With the meeting back on track, Claire could only smile. "We are already planning her enclosure..." She glanced at the Bell who nodded. "Though nothing has been finalized as of yet. As is though, we have at least eight months before we will need to start building it. Despite her growth rate, we only expect her to reach the size of the Raptors in about 8 months and we'll have her in a temporary paddock by then."

Clapping his hands, Simon grinned. "Excellent news, Claire." After glancing down at something, he leaned forward and clasped his hands. "And how does things go with the 'Small World' attraction? All is well, I take it?"

Once more, Claire glanced at Bell who nodded. "We're on schedule for the Small World attraction. At first, we were going to do what amounted to a small building for it. However, as it turned out we had a number of other possibilities and it was decided to allow for expansion beyond the initial exhibits inside."

Taking over, Claire tapped onto the touch screen and brought up several icons. "Currently we have a number of species that we are incubating for the Small World attraction. Besides the Beelzebufo, we have the Microraptor, Archeopteryx, as well as three Placodont species. Recently though, we have found files that will allow us to recreate Aquilops, a small Ceratopsian that weighed less then five pounds and what will be the 'Empress' of the Small World exhibit, Dilong."

As Simon nodded, Tim looked at the recreation of a small predatory dinosaur. "Hmm... Not a bad opening group of exhibits for the attraction. And I agree that having room to expand later on can only be a good thing." Slowly, he smiled. "I have also seen your suggestion to name it as a memorial attraction. Rather nice idea indeed. Starbucks is also open to the idea."

Relief flooded through Claire's body and she softly smiled. "Thank you."

However, Tim just waved her off. "No need to thank me, I think that it's a wonderful idea."

While he nodded, Simon leaned forward. "I do have a question though... I received your report that a new creature has been found from the Restricted Area? One not listed by InGen?"

Frowning, Tim sighed. "A troubling development to say the least. Especially if the idea that Laura Sorkin was behind it. My grandfather found that despite her brilliance, she could be rather... troublesome. And if she created anything, we need to know what."

A hum escaped Simon as he nodded. "Nonetheless, perhaps it might be a good idea to look into a paddock for this... Koolasuchus. It would be interesting for study if nothing else." His expression then turned pensive. "We also need paddocks outside the public areas for the hybrids. Neither of us will let the public even catch sight of them unless we can be positive that they are not dangerous..."

* * *

Owen walked out onto the dark, porch steps and sat down next to Blue who was looking up into the sky. "Penny for your thoughts?"

Slightly confused, Blue frowned and furrowed her eyebrows. "Pennies? Money? Why would you use money for thoughts?"

A laugh came from the trainer as he shook his head before he reached up and ruffled her hair. "It's a figure of speech, Blue. It means do you want to talk about whatever is bothering you."

Snorting, Blue pushed his hand off before she continued to watch the night sky. "Is strange... Thinking more then before as True-Hunter. Easier to make thoughts heard now. Also... Thinking about Pack. About how things different now. Alpha understands pack and pack understands Alpha better. And Barry... Claire... Do not know how to feel."

A glance showed Owen that she had gripped the amulet in her hand. "That has changed a lot, hasn't it?"

With a frown, Blue followed his gaze and huffed. "Make things better... But strange." Her head then tilted to the side. "But last night as human. Tomorrow will be True-Hunter once more. Feels odd." It was then that Blue felt something and looked to see that Owen had wrapped an arm around her shoulders. 'Is Nice...'

It said something that Owen didn't really mind as Blue leaned into the hug. "Hey, it's not the last night you know." Knowing that he had her attention, he snorted a bit. "If anything, the amulet will let you transform now whenever you want. Okay?"

There was a smile on her face as she nodded. "Yes... And cannot wait for sisters to be able to as well. They will like being human like daddy."

Raising an eyebrow, Owen looked down at her. "Mind explaining why you call me daddy by the way?"

Part of him wanted to laugh at how she tilted her head in confusion. "Was told that male who helps raise hatchlings and takes care of them is daddy. You raise sisters and me from hatchlings and take care of us. Is therefore daddy."

Now Owen did laugh a bit at the pure simplicity of the idea. Before the angry Blue could do anything, he just tightened the hug. "Never change, Baby Blue. Never change for anything."

She just looked up at him and her next words caused him to burst out laughing. "But did change! Was True-Hunter and now is Human!"

* * *

Owen was leaning against the doorframe enjoying the early morning sunlight as he watched Claire walk down toward the jeep. He could see from his position the chain for the amulet hanging from her pocket. "Heading out early I see."

Turning, Claire raised an eyebrow as she shook her head. "The sooner I do this, the better. I even took today off as it's our best bet." At the confusion on her boyfriend's face, Claire shook her head. "There's a line of massive thunderstorms coming from the west. We're going to be issuing a storm warning and a heavy flood warning."

Worried, Owen looked at the lake. "You're opening the floodgates, right?"

Highly unamused, Claire shook her head. "Yes, we'll be opening them at six in the morning tomorrow to prepare. We're also opening the... Mosasaur pen's valves to handle the overflow." Suddenly, there was a rumble and Owen could hear the screeches of the Raptors for a moment as well as the sounds of various things trembling before it stopped. "That's the other reason why I want to see this done as soon as possible."

As he looked to the northeast, Owen could just see the column of ash against the other clouds in the sky. "Sibo?"

Looking in the same direction, Claire shook her head. "The magma feeding the eruption is moving slightly northward. According to the USGS, we should be in the clear... But the activity is increasing. I was informed that the Muertes Hotspot is feeding the activity." There was a frown on her face. "Still... Just to be safe, I need to do this as soon as possible..."

* * *

Claire was navigating the back roads toward where she knew that Rexy would be when the sound of ringing attracted her attention. With a raised eyebrow, she glanced at the sat phone which sat in a cradle. After the incident with the Indominus, one of the first things Claire had ordered was the installation of satellite phones in all park vehicles and enclosures. Bringing it to her ear, she ignored the bumpiness of the road. "Claire Dearing here."

A moment later, Jess' voice drifted through the headset. "Claire? It's Jess, I have some news that you need to hear."

While she kept an eye on the surrounding woods, Claire frowned. "Is it urgent?"

There was a moment of silence before Jess spoke up again. "I'm pretty sure that it is urgent, as in you really need to know as soon as possible."

Sighing, Claire shook her head. "Okay, Jess, what is it?"

Over the phone, the sigh came in loud and clear. "One of the workers up at the North Docks spotted a dinosaur that wandered into the area and informed the ACU troops there. It was a plant eater, but none of them could identify it so as per standing orders, they subdued it and brought it back to be put into quarantine about three in the morning. Claire... this is big. The dinosaur is nearly 12 feet long and is not in any list of InGen's. I even got in contact with Tim and they ran a search. Even it's DNA is not on a list."

Now frowning, Claire furrowed her eyebrows. "Do we even know what species it is?"

On the other end of the phone there was the sound of pages flipping before Jess answered. "Not really. We're waiting to hear back from some paleontologists that we can trust." What was unsaid was who one of those would be. "At the moment, all we can be sure of is that it's a Iguanodont of some sort. Dick thinks that it's a Dryosaurus, though we're waiting on that."

Amused, Claire chuckled a bit. "You know that Doctor Levine hates being called that."

With a snort, Jess shot back. "And I hate being called a 'Doctor Dolittle-Wannabe' by that ass. God, I never wished so hard to be able to punch someone through a computer screen before I met him. So, yeah, I'll keep calling him Dick." There was a sigh. "Speaking of him, he's still blocking us from using the Hammond Foundation's survey plane. _Apparently_ he needs it to keep track of a pack of sub-adult Allosaurus who wound up on Isla Pena. They're trying, but we won't have any real maps of the area outside maybe satellite photos before the expedition is sent there. And before you ask, in Dick's _modest_ opinion, there's no possibility of a large predator in the valley even with large prey species because, and I quote, 'It would have eaten all the prey and starved to death'."

Squealing, the brakes on the jeep stopped it before Claire stared at the phone. " _Please_ tell me that was some sort of bad joke on your part..."

Her tone dry, Jess snorted. "Don't I wish it was since he actually said that. Pretty sure that everyone there somehow heard my brother-in-law from California calling Dick an idiot for taunting Murphy."

For a moment, Claire was silent before she laid her forehead on the steering wheel. "Right... I'll take care of that when I get back... Thank you Jess for informing me. Now I'll be out of contact until tomorrow morning, okay?" Getting an acknowledgement, Claire hung up and then continued on. Not long after, she stopped the jeep and unhooked the sat phone before she left it. The various animals scrambled as where a woman once stood, an adult female Tyrannosaur now did. Chuckling, Claire walked off into the brush. 'I will never get tired of this. There's just so much... _power_...'

Suddenly, she stopped and crouched a bit as she looked around. Then a few seconds the trees parted to reveal Rexy there in all her glory, though there was both pride and amusement on her face. "{ _Very good, Tall-Daughter. Glad to see that you have not had your edge dulled._ }"

A chuckle escaped from Claire as she stood up. "I try to keep on my toes... and being around the Raptor Squad helps." She then brought up one arm from which the amulet hung from, glinting in the sun. "And I have the amulet... Metal-Scale, right here."

Rexy though was interested in the knapsack that hung from Claire's other pair of claws. "{ _What is that, Tall-Daughter?_ }"

Glancing at it, Claire coughed a bit "Er... a few clothes for you to change into once you wake up transformed."

The Tyrannosaur snorted a bit and pulled back. "{ _Have to wear Fake-Skins? I suppose if I am to be Not-Prey... Is silly though, why need Not-Skins..._ }"

While she shook her head, Claire transformed back into a human and held the amulet. Curious, Rexy bent down and watched as Claire pulled out a small knife and, with a wince, cut a finger before she let the blood drip into the hollow in the amulet. Once it was full, she sealed it and looked at the chain. "Hmm..." Claire's eyes narrowed as she reached up with the center of the amulet's chain aligned with Rexy's snout. "Let's see if this works..."

Much to her surprise, the chain seemed to lengthen as she passed it along Rexy's head. It took her a few minutes to position it, but it passed over her head and then slid down her neck to come to rest against her chest. All during it, Rexy gave it a confused expression before she looked down at where it now rested. "{ _Feels strange, Tall-Daughter._ }"

A moment later, Claire was once more a Tyrannosaurus and smiled. "Well now, we got all day as it won't be until it's almost tomorrow for you to transform... What shall we do?"

Tilting her head, Rexy thought it over before she nodded. "{ _Found a new prey to hunt. Is strange as never have seen before. But is good._ }"

To Rexy's amusement, Claire's eyes brightened a bit as she started to salivate. After all, the transformed human found that hunting something down helped ease her frustrations with some of the issues she kept getting. Far better then the dart board she once kept and put pictures on...

* * *

At first, Claire could have sworn that it was the dawn chorus that woke her up after having slept away the night. Her and Rexy had spent an eventful day patrolling to make sure that her territory was secure and hunting what she was sure was Jess' mystery animals. Suddenly, her eyes opened wide as she felt something small against her side and she realized that Rexy's warm bulk was gone. 'Did it work...?'

She had carefully gotten up and turned in time to see the human that was next to her wake up. For several moments the woman laid there as if collect herself before she slowly stood up onto her feet before she looked herself over. "Hmm... is now Not-Prey..."

The woman seemed stunned to hear her own voice and slowly reached up to her face. Unnoticed by her, a surprised Claire was looking her over. Strangely, there was a resemblance between the two women, though Rexy's hair was brown and not red, as well as Rexy looking to be in her forties. The next two things that Claire noticed was how the now human Rexy stood tall for a woman and that every one of her muscles could be seen under the skin. 'Okay... I've heard of Amazonian, but never did I think that I would see someone who that could be applied to...' Of course, it was then that she noticed something else. "Rexy... could you put on some clothes?"

Pulled away from her inspection of her fingers, Rexy looked herself over before she shivered some from the morning chill. "Yes, remember that Not-Prey wear Fake-Skins... clothes, to keep warm." However, she paused for a moment and looked up at Claire. 'So this is what it is like for Not-Prey to face me... Can see why they fear and feel small like Old-Smile said.' Then Rexy shook off the thought. Walking over to the backpack, Rexy opened it and pulled out the item on top before she examined it. "Hat?"

It was just _barely_ that Claire kept from laughing as Rexy held up the panties. Just the same, Claire changed back into a human and walked over, sure to keep her eyes and senses on her surroundings in the early dawn light. "Um, no... here, let me help you with that."

A few minutes later found a clothed Rexy who fiddled with what she wore before she nodded. "Is not as bad as I thought. Much better, not as cold."

Part of Claire admitted that she was envious of the woman in front of her. After all, she stood nearly a head above her and had a body that most professional fighters would be proud of, scars and all. The clothing she wore, which was for someone smaller, didn't hide any of that at all. Shaking her head, Claire dismissed the feeling and then transformed in her Rex form and laid down. "Now that's done... we should get going. Come on then, time for you to get onto my back since I don't want anything to hurt you."

There was just the slightest of smirks on Rexy's face as she walked over and scrambled onto Claire's back. "Good idea, Tall-Daughter. Not-Prey not made to fight off many predators without Boom-Sticks."

Claire just glanced at her with a smile. "True... and Rexy?" Having caught the attention of Rexy, Claire continued. "Call me Claire when we're both humans, okay?"

Smiling, the transformed Tyrannosaur nodded. "Yes... Claire. Will call you such."

Nodding, Claire took a breath. "Now then.. hang on." Slowly standing, Claire kept an eye on Rexy who worked to stay on. Once she was fully on her feet, Claire chuckled. "And here we go."

With that, the Tyrannosaur began to walk back to where she knew the jeep was while on her back, Rexy decided to enjoy the new sensations of her body as she instinctively moved to stay on.

* * *

Having reached the jeep as the sun continued to rise above the horizon, Claire laid down to allow for Rexy to get off. Once she had, Claire then transformed back to a human and the two got into the jeep. Turning to the curious transformed Rex, all the red head could do was smile. "We should be back to Owen's bungalow in time for some breakfast hopefully. Anything in particular you might want?"

For a few moments, Rexy was quiet before she snorted. "Would like some meat." Then her brows furrowed. "But may also try some of that food you ate near my home."

Claire had to think back but nodded as she remembered one morning having some baked goods there. "I'll see what I can do."

As she drove, she didn't notice Rexy run a hand along the door. Suddenly, the Tyrannosaurus looked around. "Remember chasing this. Was fast and hard to keep up with. Had Annoying-One in back sputtering nonsense. But Old-Hunter was where you were."

Mainly because of having read the reports, Claire was able to piece together who Rexy was talking about. 'Hmm... "Old-Hunter" must be Muldoon and "Annoying-One" must be Ian Malcom... Suits him.' Slowly Claire nodded and chuckled. "Yeah, that would be Ian Malcom in a nutshell." After a moment she glanced around and sighed as she turned on the radio. "Might as well see what's on."

While she watched, Rexy narrowed her eyes as she heard voices come through. " _Goood morning, Jurassic World! Welcome to Nublar's only native radio station! So damned good, we don't need another! It's me, your host for the Wake Up Call, Jackson! Now, we got a special treat for you all..._ "

Tapping the steering wheel as the jeep bounced along the old road, Claire softly growled much to Rexy's amusement. "Get on with it, Jackson. God, no one wants to hear you ramble on and if it was not for the radio station being all volunteer..."

A snort came from Rexy that caused Claire to turn. "If annoying you, wish for me to eat him?"

That only caused Claire to roll her eyes and her answer caused Rexy to laugh. "No, you would get indigestion and probably have Gerry on my ass. No, thank you."

Finally, what she was waiting for came on. " _And now for the Weather. We'll have clear skies all morning guys until it begins to cloud over at about noon. By three we'll be seeing showers and a possibility of thunder showers as the first line of storms roll in. Batten down the hatches people and stock up on games and entertainment. According to the weather people we're looking at being stuck inside at least for a day, maybe even longer. Hopefully it won't be like last year when we were stuck inside for a week at around this time._ "

Scowling, Claire nodded some. "I can only hope..." She then glanced at Rexy and smiled. "I hope to show you some things around the island after all. I'll get you a VIP pass later so no one questions why you're here."

Not quite understanding what Claire meant, Rexy only nodded. "I see..."

Meanwhile the radio continued. " _We have heavy rainfall warnings in effect with a risk of flooding as well as high winds. Remember people, this may not be a hurricane, but there is no need to not be cautious. Management has already ordered all floodgates to be open and emergency lines are also open just in case._ "

After that, Jackson continued to ramble on about various things in an attempt to be funny. Confused, Rexy tilted her head to the side as Claire continued to grumble about him. "Who is he?"

With a sigh, Claire stopped the jeep to let a hadrosaur walk pass. "Jackson is one of the cleaners here at the park. You might remember him as the one who used to be in your observation room blasting music and making a nuisance of himself. Well, before I caught him." A snort told her that Rexy did indeed remember him. "Apparently his father worked at the original park and was a volunteer 'DJ' for the radio they had. Though they mostly broadcast it over the intercom. From what Gerry, 'Prick-One' said, his father was just as annoying and horrible of a DJ. But the radio station is all volunteer so I can't exactly stop him from doing a show.. Just make it really early so it won't annoy the guests."

It was then that something happened that caught Claire by surprise. " _Anyways, I said that I had something special for you all and I always deliver. May I welcome Doctor Anna McDonald of the United States Geological Survey to our radio station. Well Doctor, do you mind me calling you Anna? Anyways, good to have you and may I say that you are looking quite lovely this morning?_ "

The doctor's unsure voice drifted out. " _Um... Sure, thank you for the welcome? But please, call me Doctor or Doctor McDonald._ "

Sighing, Claire rubbed the bridge of her nose before she banged her head on the steering wheel much to Rexy's amusement. "Dammit Jackson... I swear Doctor, I'll make it up to you... Somehow."

Unable to hear his boss, Jackson just continued. " _Well then, since you want me to just call you doctor and not Anna, how about you tell us the recent news about the eruption? We all got shook up yesterday._ "

There was a clearing of a throat. " _Well, as I have said on this very radio station, the eruption is currently being fed by the Muertes Hotspot, which is responsible for the volcanism here on Nublar as well as the Muertes Archipelago about 80 kilometres away. The island itself has reached about 500 feet in width and about a hundred tall and is still growing. But what caused the earthquake the other day was another vent opening up on the seafloor. That brings the count up to about five vents. All are the same volcano though and contained in an area of about a mile. In fact, just last night one of them broke the surface as well which means that two vents are now visible above the water. They could stay separate or maybe merge, it's too early to tell._ "

Once more, Claire felt like hitting something at the tone that Jackson took. " _Huh, like that movie with the volcano in LA? And are we in danger?_ "

After that, there was a pause and everyone could tell what the doctor was thinking before she answered. " _... No, nothing like that movie at all._ Volcano _as a movie had so much wrong with it in regards to real life that I do not know where to begin. As for danger, no. The eruptions look dangerous due to the seawater meeting the magma as it extrudes, but in reality it would only be dangerous if one got too close. Mount Sibo is still dormant and has not shown any signs of awakening as of yet. At the very worst, all we might get is the smell of sulfur drifting over the island._ "

Rexy snorted a bit and crossed her arms as Jackson continued. "Is very annoying, Claire. Should get him eaten."

Rolling down the window some as they came out of the forest and the Restricted Area, Claire could only sigh as she felt the amount of humidity in the air. "Don't tempt me..."


	14. Chapter 14

Disclaimer: Jurassic World is owned by Universal Pictures

" _Hello?_ " -Phone or radio.

"{ _Alpha!_ }" -Dinosaur language.

* * *

As he felt a headache coming on, Tim rubbed the side of his head. "You mean to tell me that even after four months, there's neither a hide nor hair of Doctor Henry Wu anywhere? That him, helicopter CR-1017, four members of InGen Security, and about five other highly ranked geneticists all disappeared? Without any sign of what happened to them? You are telling me this?"

Gulping, the man nodded. "I'm afraid so, Sir."

For a moment, Tim was quiet before he got up. Gently, he traced his hands along the petrified wood that made up his desk before he spoke in a even tone. "Then keep looking. I do not care if you need to turn over every single rock, search every tree, knock over every door or drain the damn sea. I want Wu _found_." Once the man was gone, he sighed as he glanced at the blonde woman that leaned against his door frame. "Don't say it, Lex."

Walking in, his older sister plopped down on the vacated chair as she looked around his office. Part of her couldn't help but grimace at the dinosaur fossils and replicas that were scattered around. "Wouldn't dream of it, Tim." Then she frowned as she took in his haggard look. "You should rest though."

Coming to a stop in front of the windows for his office, Tim shook his head. "I can't, not until I can put this all behind us for grandpa. I'm going to make sure that his dream stays a reality." In the glass, he could see the scowl on his sister's face. "I know that you don't agree with it, but I am." Tim then stared out at the city around them. "But I need someone to talk to who won't sugarcoat things for me, yet that I can still trust."

For a few moments there was silence and then Lex sighed. "Figures that you wouldn't call me for courtesy. What is it?"

Turning, Tim frowned a bit. "Besides various board members fighting me, there's a bit more. You don't know this, but I've been digging using some resources and there's a lot of rot... Which can be traced back to two people in particular, one of whom is dead."

It wasn't hard for Lex to guess who he meant. "Ludlow."

Nodding, Tim glanced at her. "Ludlow." He then raised one other finger as he tossed her a folder. "And another man as well. The same man who created InGen security with some of his old army buddies."

With a shiver running up her spine, Lex opened the folder and felt her chest constrict at the picture. "... Our father."

All Tim did was grit his teeth at the memories. "Yeah, our dear old dad. Even after the divorce, he was still in tight with Ludlow. He may have disappeared in 2004, but I can't help but think there's a connection. Especially as he was the one who hired Vic Hoskins in the first place. And apparently helped advise Simon to promote him." Scowling, Tim ran a hand through his hair. "Like Vic, he even had a program to train Raptors. The head of that program was Doctor Francis White, who 'Disappeared' after having 'destroyed' the hatchlings. Officially. But grandpa noted in his journals that she kept butting heads with Ludlow and our father. Like Owen did with Hoskins. Yet... None of her research was ever found. Odd that."

There was a frown on Lex's face as she looked up at her younger brother. "He's dead and gone, Tim. Even the courts ruled that he's not around anymore."

Hissing, Tim barely bit back a retort. "I know what the courts said. But there's just too much here that does not make sense. I've gotten a few ideas, but that's all. Someone did a very through job of covering their tracks. And I have no idea who..." His fingers then tapped against the top of the desk. "But there's three names that keep bouncing around. Our father's, Ludlow's... And BioSyn."

Upon hearing that name, Lex's head snapped up. "What does BioSyn have to do with this? Besides, they're nearly defunct after the scandal in Chile involving their rabies vaccine. Though who the hell though it was a good idea to infect hundreds of farmers with a modified form of the rabies virus to test the vaccine is beyond me."

Glancing at her, Tim shook his head. "That would be Lewis Dodgson. Strange how Nedry worked for him and yet passed through all the checks that were shown up. Like there was someone inside who helped them. Then you had Ludlow having quite a bit of stock in BioSyn before his death. And our dad hired at least one BioSyn spy who was an 'Old friend'. Finally... The InGen Security troops who got Wu off the island also made off with embryos and DNA samples. Similar to what Nedry was supposed to do. Strange that..."

Lex got up and walked behind him. "You think that dad was working for BioSyn somehow and... They're connected with this?"

Shaking his head, Tim frowned. "I don't know. Too many coincidences and BioSyn is the only company in the field who has more spies and lawyers then they have scientists. And we both know that they would not bat an eye at Hoskins' plan except selling them to whoever would buy. I just wish I knew how it all fit together and with this 'Project Chaos Effect'..."

* * *

As he walked to the door after hearing the jeep pull up, Owen paused only to shout over his shoulder at the Raptors who were being a bit noisy. "Stop being a bunch of little shits and settle down!" Shaking his head, he opened the door to see Claire and another woman, who caught his attention. Upon having caught sight of her two amber eyes as well as the scars on her neck, Owen raised an eyebrow. "Rexy, I presume."

The woman raised a single eyebrow and stepped forward. Much to Owen's surprise, and her amusement, he had to tilt his head back slightly to look her in the eyes. "That is me. I see that you have been treating my Tall-Daught... Claire, well." Rexy seemed not to see Claire hold a hand across her eyes as she continued. "Continue to do so."

His tone dry, and utterly uncaring that Rexy's normal state was that of a multi-ton predator, Owen snorted. "I'll try."

It was then that Blue, in her human form, came around the corner and stopped at seeing the strange woman. For a moment, she cocked her head to the side in curiosity before she sniffed and her eyes went wide. "S-Stern-One..."

With a grin, Rexy pushed past Owen who rolled his eyes before she came to a stop in front of Blue. "I see that you are doing well now... Blue, I believe that the Not... humans call you. Though I think calling you Crazy-One might well be good." Just as Blue hissed, Rexy poked her in the forehead as the transformed dinosaur remembered Old-Hunter doing to her as a hatchling. "But in a good way. Quite brave for a Swift-Hunter, but not stupid like Big-One."

Narrowing her eyes in a glare, Blue met Rexy's amused expression before she snorted and turned. "Not Crazy-One, daddy calls me Blue."

Then she walked back to the kitchen and moments later screeches and hisses could be heard as she no doubt told the others what was going on. Meanwhile, Rexy turned back to Owen. "Daddy?"

In reply, Owen sighed and shook his head. "Apparently she found out that males that raise young are called dad or daddy and decided that I must be hers as well as Alpha."

Rexy just leaned in and smirked. "Makes sense. Swift-Hunter-Handler crazy like Blue-One. Now know where she learned it." Then she tilted her head thoughtfully. "Also, she smell like your hatchling as human." Another sniff caused Rexy to look toward the kitchen and walk off. "Smell food, is hungry."

Meanwhile, Owen looked at Claire who barely kept from laughing. "Great, she's going to be around for at least a week... this will be fun."

* * *

Her hunger satiated, Rexy leaned back in the chair as the Raptors all watched her carefully and simply observed the room she was in. If there was one thing that her years of life had taught her, it was that it was best to simply watch. So instead of asking question after question like part of her wanted, she simply observed how Claire and Owen used the various items and filed it away. Hearing her name called though made her turn toward Blue. "Yes?"

Blue copied one of Owen's poses as she leaned her chin against her fist. "What does Stern-One want to do? Is bored."

For a few moments the transformed Rex thought it over before she grunted. "Want to learn more about Smoke-Island and how it is danger."

At the sink, Owen raised an eyebrow at her as he washed. "Isla Fumar? That's forty miles west of us. We're in no danger from it."

Shaking her head, Claire rolled her eyes. "She means the volcanic eruption to the north."

However, Rexy furrowed her eyebrows. "Yes, but what is... Isla Fumar?"

With a shrug, Owen placed a dish into the drying rack. "Like I said, it's an island to the west of us and the name means 'Smoke Island'. Whole place is dotted with fumaroles and hot springs, so it always looks like there's smoke coming from it. It's one of the small islands dotting the area. No real danger to anyone unless you actually land on it because of the volcanic gasses."

Claire nodded as she passed him a plate. "Anyways, the volcanic eruption to the north might threaten the island if it moves south."

Perking up, Blue looked at them. "Volcanic eruption? Is volcano?" At their slow nods, her face lit up. "Just like on show!"

Both Owen and Claire shared a look before the trainer looked over at them. "Show?"

All Blue did was nod as well as her sisters as Charlie spoke up. "{ _Yes, with transforming Metal-Beast! Bus!_ }" She then held out her talons before she started to warble and was joined by her sisters. "{ _... Hop on the magic school bus..._ }"

Barely preventing himself from snickering, Owen coughed to cover it up. "Well... that explains what Barry must have been showing you all yesterday that had your attention..."

There was a twinkle of amusement in Claire's eyes as she nodded. "Apparently..." She then frowned a bit. "As for the threats... it could cause Mount Sibo to erupt. Or, though highly unlikely, it could case maybe one or more of the Three Brothers to wake up."

Puzzled, Owen thought it over and then blinked as he turned. "Wait... the three mountains on the eastern side of the island by the old Tyrannosaur Paddock are volcanoes?"

Not having noticed Rexy look up at the mention of her old territory, Claire nodded. "Dormant ones, but yes. I've been told that that it is highly unlikely that they'll erupt again." Frowning, Claire shook her head. "From the reports, there's two vents now building islands on the surface with a third having begun to boil and froth the water nearby. Doctor McDonald thinks it highly likely that it will breach the surface in the next week. Possibly followed by a fourth."

Crossing his arms, Owen shook his head. "That will build it up quick."

With a smile, Claire handed him the last of the dishes before she dried her hands. "Doctor McDonald estimates that we'll have an full fledged island there within two or three weeks. Thankfully, the nearest one is ten kilometers offshore on the North Nublar Bank, so we should be alright..." Her smile then dropped. "Though I'm more worried over what we'll find at Sorkin's lab..."

* * *

Adam pulled his cap off his head and shook it as he looked at the crumpled jeep. "Jesus fucking Christ... Tiamet did a number on it. Why the hell would she attack it?"

Beside him, Elric snorted as he glanced at the river where he could see the barest of wakes. "She's starting to get hungry since most of her food fled. And the engine was on making noise as well as hot. Must have thought it was a nice tasty morsel." He then kicked the wheel which was slanted at an angle. "Jeff can't fucking fix this."

Notcing something, Adam walked up and reached into a part of the jeep before he yanked and pulled out something. After a moment, he snorted and held up the large tooth. "Look at this damn thing. Can you imagine being bitten with this?"

While he snorted, Elric glanced at the slide marks in the dirt road before looking at the river. "No, I really don't... And don't tempt fate, dammit! I've seen enough monster movies to know that much you jackass." He kept an eye on the water searching up and down the river, but not seeing the yellow eye watching him. "Come on, let's head back and try to get Alice to fucking hurry it up."

As he looked around, Adam snorted a bit but headed back to the jeep they did have. "Yeah, I've been trying to do that. But you know how she is..." Shaking their heads, they hopped in and drove off.

* * *

Claire had to hold back a smile as she glanced at Rexy who rubbed her arm and glared at Gerry who walked away whistling. "Something wrong, 'Roxanne'?"

Grumbling, she gave her a narrow look. "You did not tell me that we were going to see Prick-One."

A chuckle finally escaped from the red haired woman as she shook her head and began to walk. "And would you have come if I had? Though that name keeps bringing a smile to Gerry's face every time he's heard it."

In return, all she got was a glare. "Prick-One, Gerry, enjoys sticking things in me too much. At least it's not my muzzle this time." At the look she got, Rexy snorted. "He once put many prick things into my face. Though it was in defence of his hatchling at the time... who is not much better than the one named Gerry."

That bit of information caused Claire to raise an eyebrow and she resolved to ask about it later on. However, what she did comment on was the card that hung from Rexy's coat declaring that she's "Roxanne Regina" and that she is a VIP. "I have to admit, I thought that card would be more problematic then I thought... I suppose that Lowery is trying to make up for things."

Fiddling with it, Rexy frowned a bit. "Wish that could have Old-Smile's name... cannot understand why."

As she coughed, Claire shook her head. "That would cause some issues, let's just say." It was then that they passed one of the rooms that had a window into the hallway and she stopped. "Ah, I see that the veterinary physio team has arrived."

Rexy blinked and looked in to see four humans there as well as what looked like a hatchling dinosaur that was looking around curiously. "What is... 'Physio'?"

With a smile, Claire watched as they put what looked like a bar scanner against Sunset's foot and watch a computer screen. "Physiotherapy is a method by which we can help someone recover from bad injuries better through various methods. Imagine that you sprain your foot, it hurts and will do so for a long time, right?" Slowly, Rexy nodded. "Well, using Physio, we can get it to stop hurting and heal faster. The veterinary physio team is a pilot project that we're instituting here at Jurassic World. They should help Charlie, Delta, and Sunset."

Tilting her head to the side, Rexy slowly nodded. "Seems useful." She continued to watch as one of the human females reached down and gently stroked the hatchling's head before giving her some meat. "What is wrong with hatchling?"

Her expression saddened, Claire sighed. "She was on one of the other islands when some bad humans called poachers caught her and killed her mother. They skinned her mother and hurt her badly before they shoved in her in a small cage. She lost an eye and has a limp and would have been killed in the wild, hence why she's going to be staying with us. Of course, I've been told that she should make a nearly full recovery though she's going to have a small limp and only have one eye." A little bit unsure, Claire glanced at Rexy. "I've decided to put her enclosure next to yours..."

Snorting, Rexy shook her head. "Do not mind. Will keep an eye on hatchling and protect her." Her eyes narrowed a bit. "And any try hurt her, I hurt them."

A smile was on Claire's face before she pointed at Ami. "Just to let you know, that's Ami Kobayashi who will be Sunset's handler."

For a few moments, Rexy examined Ami unknown to the handler before she nodded. "Remember her talking with own handler. Like you, show respect and only small amount of fear, but did not treat as stupid when she noticed me. Will do good job with... Sunset."

Thoughtful, Claire finally nodded and made her way to the door. "How about we go and meet her then?" Perking up, Rexy smiled a bit and gave a nod as they entered the room. "Ami, Jake, Sunset, how are we doing today?"

Ami smiled a bit as she petted the top of Sunset's head. "We're doing good today, aren't we Sunset?"

Her tongue lolling out of her mouth, Sunset chirped. "{ _Is good day, Pack-Leader Claire!_ }"

Nervous, the vet in charge of the Physio team tugged at his shirt collar. "We're doing quite good, Miss Dearing." He then gestured at Ami. "We were just discussing some of what we will be doing for young Sunset to help her recover as much of her mobility as we can."

Glancing at Rexy who was watching Sunset with an interested look, Claire leaned back a bit. "Which methods are you going to be using?"

Clearing his throat, Jake gave a slight smile. "We've had to really brainstorm to adapt some of our methods... after all, we're breaking whole new ground here due to our patients being dinosaurs. But... in Sunset's case we'll be using electrotherapy as well as hydrotherapy alongside some more traditional methods."

That raised Claire's eyebrow a bit. "Electrotherapy? Hydrotherapy?"

Now more calm, the head of the Physio team gave a larger smile. "The form of electrotherapy that we'll be using will be electrical muscle stimulation. We'll attach electrodes to the skin above the specific muscles that Sunset needs to work. Then we'll apply a small amount of electricity which will cause those muscles to contract and relax." Seeing the look on Claire's face, he held up his hands. "Won't hurt her, the amount of electrical current is too small for that. At worst, she might feel a fuzzy sort of feeling... I can... show you if you want. Like we did for Ami."

Intrigued, Claire nodded. "Very well."

A few moments later, she looked down at the small electrodes attached to her hand. Taking a breath, Jake let it out. "Now, this will be what we'll be using for Sunset, boosted up for your size."

Once he turned on the small machine, Claire felt a slight buzz in the area and watched as the muscle twitched under the skin. "Hmm... could you scale this up? You will be in charge of handling two of our Raptors who were injured in the recent incident." Noting the slight paleness in Jake's and the other Physiotherapists' faces, she smiled. "Don't worry, Delta and Charlie are both sweethearts and won't hurt you... unless you were a threat to their pack."

With a slight cough, Jake gave her a slightly brittle smile. "Of course, of course. We use these methods in Equine physio as well, so it scales up rather well."

Nodding, Claire watched as they took the electrodes off. "And this hydrotherapy?"

Jake gestured over at what looked like a large tank with a crane over it. "We haven't gotten anything set up for larger dinosaurs quite yet, but if you'll come over here we can show you how we'll be handling Sunset."

Having noticed that Ami gave a glance to where Rexy was observing Sunset and vice versa, Claire gave a chuckle. "Roxy won't harm Sunset, Ami. I trust her impliciently."

Even though she was slightly dubious, Ami nodded and followed as they walked over to the tank as Jake explained. "Now, we're using heated and chemically treated water for health reasons. This arm above the tank will have chains which will attach to a harness which will be around Sunset's body. Once she's in the water, we'll have her walk along an underwater treadmill..."

As he continued to explain with Claire and Ami both asking questions, Rexy glanced at them and then leaned toward Sunset who looked up at her curiously. "Hello there, Little One."

Taking a sniff, Sunset blinked a bit. "{ _You smell of being Big-Hunter like Pack-Leader Claire!_ }"

Chuckling, Rexy softly stroked Sunset's head and upper neck. "'Big-Hunter'? Is that what they call those like me where you come from?" Getting a soft growl, her smile grew a bit. "I see... but unlike my Tall-Daughter, I've always been a Big-Hunter, I've only become a human today..." A thoughtful look crossed Rexy's face as she glanced where Ami was. "Perhaps Tall-Daughter might allow your handler to become one like you or for you to become human."

Sunset perked up a bit at that. "{ _Caretaker-Ami become Redhead-Hunter?! Or become Not-Prey like Pack-Leader Claire and Caretaker-Ami!?_ }" When Rexy nodded, Sunset blinked in thought. "{ _Would not mind..._ }" Then the small Ceratosaurus looked up at Rexy. " _What name?_ "

For a moment, Rexy was thoughtful before she nodded. "Am called Rexy by humans when Big-Hunter. But as human is called Roxanne, or Roxy. Tall-Daughter said it helps cover up mistake name calls." More then a little confused, Sunset nodded at that only for her eye to widen at Rexy's next words. "Will see more of you, I live in territory next to yours and will make sure that you okay. None else shall harm you, hatchling as long as I am there."

With a slight sniff, Sunset nuzzled her. "{ _Thank you, Pack-Leader Rexy..._ }"

* * *

A scowl was on Rexy's face as she glared down at Gerry. "Why you want to keep poking me!? Is always with the pricky things with you."

If anything though, Gerry was only highly amused at her expression. "I have to get tests done on you and build up mine and Jess' files on this... Though I will admit that I get a certain amount of satisfaction from this."

Rexy's eyes widened before they narrowed and she got up into his face. "You do this on purpose! You give me prick things as revenge!?"

His own eyes narrowed, Gerry snorted. "Way back during the first park disaster, you tried to eat my daughter and myself how many times?"

With her nostrils flaring, Rexy threw up her hands. "Was of many... years ago! Besides, was very hungry at time. Know that humans not taste very good, too salty and crunchy. But easy to catch."

As his expression turned deadpan, Gerry's tone turned drier then the Sahara. "So sorry that we can't taste better..."

In reply, Rexy shrugged a bit. "Is accepted."

Slowly, Gerry shook his head as he facepalmed. 'Oh for...' 

* * *

Hearing a bang, Claire glanced outside to see Gerry bang his head into the window as Rexy watched confused. Upon having seen Claire looking at her, Rexy shrugged. A moment later, Claire turned back to Doctor McDonald. "Sorry about that, you were saying?"

Shaking her head, the doctor cleared her throat and brought up a map. "I was just going to show you the view from the cameras that we have emplaced on this islet here." She pointed at a small dot halfway between Nublar's north shore and the eruptions. "It's an old volcanic plug, a formation composed of rock that solidified inside the volcano's neck and the mountain eroded around it. We just finished with the cameras, the power source, transmission tower, and lightning rod."

While she slowly nodded, Claire frowned. "And it would provide the best base... And the eruption itself? Any real changes?"

Much to her relief, the doctor shook her head. "It hasn't increased in intensity nor decreased. That's quite good though the more data that comes in the more likely it becomes that the hotspot is feeding it directly, which means that you could be looking at months or even years of duration for the eruption. I give it maybe a month before the water can no longer enter the crater from the sea for at least one of the vents. If we're correct, at that time the eruption will shift from explosive to effusive and you'll have lava flows. The island will then be permanent and depending on how the flows go... you could see it attach to Nublar and significantly grow it within a few years."

The two discussed things for several minutes before Claire glanced at her watch and nodded. "Thank you, Doctor. If anything, this is a relief." Once they shook hands, Claire walked out to find Rexy facing away from Gerry with her arms crossed which only caused her to raise an eyebrow. "Did I miss something?"

With a glare at Gerry, Rexy snorted. "Just Prick-One wanting to give me more pricks."

Unseen by Rexy, Claire's lips twitched as she gave Gerry a raised eyebrow to which the vet shrugged. "I need to build up her file just in case..." However, he then became serious. "Claire... I need you in the Quarantine Pen... now."

Motioning with one hand, Claire nodded. "Shall we?" It was only a short walk through the administration area to get to the pens, though a look outside showed her the rapidly darkening sky as thunder flashed in the distance. "Hmm... storms going to break soon."

Gerry glanced out himself and just nodded. "Yeah, you can feel it in the air."

It was then that he reached the door and typed in a password before they entered. Upon getting inside, Claire stopped at the sight of the large, bipedal herbivore as it munched on a bale of hay. "So that was the new prey for you..."

That caused Gerry to look between them. "New prey?"

Grunting, Rexy made sure to keep an eye on him at all times as she glanced at the dinosaur. "Yes, showed up one day in territory and hunted. Is quite tasty."

Much to the vet's surprise, Claire nodded as she looked over the dinosaur. "True... but I'll get us lunch in a bit." Walking up to the pen, she noted that the dinosaur shied away from her a bit. "Do we know what it is yet?"

Nodding, Gerry walked up beside her."We've identified it as a Dryosaurus altus. It's a Iguanodont from the Late Jurassic in North America." He reached out and brushed his hand through the coat of feathers on it. "They never found an adult specimen in the fossil record which is what took us so long to get an ID on it. But we know for sure that it was not on any InGen lists and the DNA shows only dinosaur in it... I think that we can confirm that this was one of Sorkin's creations."

There was a frown on Claire's face as her mind considered the implications. "The Beelzebufo... the Koolasuchus... now this. How many creatures did she create in her lab?"

All Gerry did was shake his head, not noticing that Rexy had grabbed one of the candies from a jar and was unwrapping it. "Don't know. Though I am worried that she'd have created something that we don't want to deal with."

Both him and Claire paused as they heard a crinkle sound and turned to see Rexy pop the candy into her mouth before she held the wrapper behind her. "... What?"


	15. Chapter 15

Disclaimer: Jurassic World is owned by Universal Pictures

" _Hello?_ " -Phone or radio.

"{ _Alpha!_ }" -Dinosaur language.

* * *

Claire carefully drove up the lake road as the clouds above broiled with barely contained power of the storm. Meanwhile, the storm winds whipped the lake up into a frenzy and tree branches lashed back and forth. As her car shifted from side to side, she frowned a bit. 'Note to self, get someone to surface this road.' Hearing a click of plastic against plastic, she turned her head to see Rexy finally finishing up her sundae. "Well?"

As she licked her finger, Rexy placed the container into the bag like she had seen Claire do with hers. "Not bad, quite tasty." She cocked her head to the side as she continued to copy what she saw Claire do and wiped her mouth. "This... 'Ice cream' cold, but very good. Sweet."

With a small chuckle, Claire shook her head. "Who would have thought that you would have a sweet tooth."

That got her a blank look before she could see Rexy sliding her tongue along her teeth. Confused, she looked at Claire. "Teeth do not taste sweet..."

Shaking her head, Claire let out a small laugh. "It's a figure of speech. It means that you like eating sweet things a lot and would prefer to eat them if you had the choice."

Once more, Rexy cocked her head to the side and thought, not noticing that it was a lot easier to think. "Hmm, does not make much sense. But if you say so, must be. But do like sweet things a lot, could not taste them much before."

Glancing at her, Claire hummed a bit. "You couldn't really taste sweetness?" At the shake of the head from the transformed dinosaur, Claire frowned a bit. "Huh, that I didn't know that... I wonder if that's also why Blue loves to eat sweet things as well..." She then shook her head a little. "Guess that means that I'll have to teach you to brush your teeth."

Rexy blinked her eyes at that before she scowled as she connected the dots. "Don't like hard grass on teeth."

However, Claire shook her head at that. "It's a lot better then getting cavities and needing the dentist. And unlike dinosaurs, humans don't regrow teeth."

As she shook her head, Rexy frowned. "Feel sorry. When teeth hurt, chew wood or bang against trees to make it fall out, will always have more. Humans can't do this?" When Claire nodded, Rexy shuddered a bit as she tried to imagine it. "Feel really sorry for humans."

There was a soft smile on Claire's face as she changed the subject. "So then, how did you like the rest of the tour?"

It took the transformed Tyrannosaur a few moments, but she nodded. "Was nice and interesting. Saw eggs and hatchlings, looking forward to speaking with Sunset-Hatchling more soon, is very strong though. Claire made good decision to let live." She then grinned a bit. "And saw territory from view of humans! Was very interesting to see. Wish that Claire would become Big-Hunter so could get the full experience."

Blushing some, Claire coughed a bit as she pulled up to the bungalow. "I would have loved to, but Lowery would have noticed and brought up an alarm. Until I let him into the secret, that's going to be the best that we can do."

Both of them then got out as the first fat raindrops began to fall and thunder boomed. Once they got inside though, Owen walked up and gave Claire a hug which she returned. "Hey."

Smiling, she let out a sigh at the smell of coffee. "Hey."

All Rexy did was raise an eyebrow in amusement as she followed them into the kitchen and Owen poured some coffee into a mug. When he placed it down in front of Claire, he looked over at Rexy. "You want some as well?"

However, Rexy shook her head as Claire answered for her. "Seems that she much prefers tea or juice to coffee."

Giving a hack, Rexy shook her head. "Too bitter, not good. Don't understand how humans like it."

The smile on Claire's face grew as she took a deep whiff of the steam from her mug. "We make due." Once she gave it a sip, she sighed. "I will never understand how you make the perfect cup of coffee..."

While he snorted, Owen brought his own mug up to his mouth. "You work long enough in the Navy and you'll come to appreciate a real cup of coffee and not TALC." At her raised eyebrow, he smirked. "Tastes Almost Like Coffee." Seeing her snort, Owen waited as she enjoyed her coffee. Once she was done, he leaned back in his chair and listened to the chatter as Blue and her sisters watched some television. "So... What's the newest news? Richard still being an ass?"

Sighing, Claire shook her head. "Apparently once they're done with the Allosaurs, they absolutely must do a survey of the Whaleback."

Slightly confused, Owen cocked his eyebrow. "Whaleback?"

With a nod, Claire sipped her coffee as she watched Rexy enjoy her juice. "It's a small island composed of basalt that rises out of the sea about fifteen kilometres east of Sorna. It's only about 200 feet tall and about three miles long. However, it _was_ part of the Sorna facilities and had a lab there similar to Sorkin's except built into the rock. They weren't making dinosaurs there though."

That caught Owen's interest. "What were they making there then?"

Glancing up at him, Claire shook her head. "It was partially the sister facility to the botanical cloning labs in the old park. The island was perfect as the U.S. had used it to test defoliants back in the 60s, so the Costa Rican government had no issue with InGen buying it and 'adding' it to Site B. Because there was little plantlife, it was perfect to test out growing prehistoric species in the same climate as Sorna and Nublar."

A snort escaped from the Raptor trainer as he shook his head. "So Levine is trying to keep the plane by using it to look at plants?"

He was surprised when Claire shook his head. "I said they were only partially a sister facility. Another part was working on prehistoric insect life and some other small creatures. They would have been used in Phase Three of the original park as well as Jurassic Park: Europe. One of them is a heavily modified dragonfly with a wingspan of a foot. There's also a recreated spider twice the size of a tarantula. Alongside with some primitive mammals, and Mesozoic lizards and turtles also on the island... It wasn't hard for Richard to convince some people seeing as the last survey was four years ago."

The only response that Owen had was to facepalm before he laughed as Rexy snorted. "Should eat him."

With a nod, Owen pointed at her. "I like the way she thinks."

Claire could only roll her eyes at the two even if she internally agreed it would make things easier.

* * *

For many millennia, the sharp ridge had stood above the valley below. Once, it had been the rim of a volcano, an ancestor to Mount Sibo. But that volcano had collapsed creating the caldera which formed part of the valley. It had seen the ancestors of the Tun-Si come to the island. Centuries would pass, then would come the Spanish. Still, it stood over the isolated valley, guarding what was inside from the rest of the island.

Then came InGen. The Tun-Si were removed from the island and a lab was built in the valley below the ridge. In order to better improve the access, a group of access tunnels were dug through the ridge. Not a big one, but enough for a car, though there were shutters at both ends. But soon, the disaster happened, and the park was abandoned for a decade, and the tunnel was forgotten. The valley itself was claimed by the monster that some called "Tiamat".

After twenty years, the enclosed tunnel was cracked and unstable from years of disuse. But it still withstood anything that came toward it. However, the Earthquakes due to the eruptions to the North and weakened the ridge. A landslide some distance away blocked the river and for a short time, some of the animals in the valley could move out of the valley. Then the ways out were sealed by other earthquakes. But the water level rose at this end of the valley.

While the old doors let water leak in, they held themselves in place and prevented most from being released, causing a lake to form behind the ridge. Higher and higher the lake rose... and so too, did the pressure on the doors. Now thunderstorms moved into the area and one by one, the landslide dams failed. The pressure against the doors mounted until with a screech of metal, they gave way and allowed the torrent of water to shoot through and into the tunnels.

So great was the force of the water that it gouged out chunks of concrete from the walls and ceiling of the tunnels. Having gone without maintenance for so many years, the tunnels began to crumble under the onslaught. And with a loud rumble, the ridge line above collapsed as another earthquake came through the area.

Hundreds of tons of rock fell from above as a gully formed where the tunnels had been. Blocked off once more, the waters once more rose. Though more and more of the rocks shifted and moved under the mounting forces. Small streams of water shot out of the back of the rubble filled gully. It would not take long for the newest dam to fail and allow the valley to reconnect with the rest of the island.

Meanwhile, nearby a monster slept peacefully not knowing that it would soon be released...

* * *

Claire sat down on the couch next to Rexy who was watching as Owen and Blue played a video game. Sadly for the screeching and swearing Raptor, the laughing Owen was easily beating her. "Enjoying yourself?"

Glancing at her, Rexy turned back with a small smile as she watched Blue. "Yes, finding that watching Blue lose is most amusing."

With a snarl, Blue twisted in her seat as rain beat at the windows and thunder shook the bungalow. "Fuck you shitty cloaca!"

Rather then be angry as Blue insulted her, Rexy only became more amused at pressing the Raptor's buttons. A moment later, Blue whipped back to the screen as the sounds of her losing the match echoed and she began to curse and swear at both Owen and Rexy. The Raptor trainer only chuckled though. "Does this mean you admit defeat?"

As she screeched, Blue grabbed the controller and began to cuss out her "Daddy" as she played. Shaking her head with a smile of amusement, Claire turned back to Rexy. "I did want to talk to you about something though." Seeing as she had the transformed Tyrannosaur's attention, Claire continued. "Remember how you were telling me that you were very bored with your paddock? How there was nothing for you to do all day but eat, sleep, and walk around a bit?"

Not quite sure where Claire was going with this, Rexy slowly nodded. "Yes, not much to do in paddock, in territory. But now will be able to talk with Sunset-Hatchling. So won't be so bored."

Those words caused the Raptors, including Blue, to turn around. "Hatchling?!"

Sighing, Owen nodded. "Yes, hatchling. She's a Ceratosaur that will be joining the park." At the looks he received from his squad, he rolled his eyes. "I'll see about maybe letting you meet her. It's up to Ami, her handler, if you will be able to."

With that, all the Raptors burst into excited chatter as Claire turned back to Rexy. "Well... You might have other means to fight boredom soon enough." Seeing the interest, Claire showed her a tablet with a group of videos on it. "I got in contact with a company named Kong. Among other things, they make enrichment toys for zoos that the animals can play with."

Cocking an eyebrow, Rexy looked down at the tablet. "Enrichment toys?" Nodding, Claire played the videos which showed large animals playing with various items. Some looked like logs, others like cubes. There were even some balls. Rexy tilted her head as she watched a video of a large mammal with orange and black stripped fur as it wrapped it's forelimbs around a red ball bigger then it and tried to bite it. "Hmm... Is very interesting, might like such in my paddock."

There was a smile on Claire's face as she shook her head. "Kong is more then willing to cut us a deal on a limited run as a sort of free advertising. They'll have a contract to make more for us and we'll sell 'Jurassic World exclusive' Kong pet toys as part of our merchandise."

From where he sat, Owen looked back at her. "That's not a bad idea. It'll give the animals in their enclosures something to play with and keep their minds active. Which ones will get them?"

Humming, Claire shifted a little. "There will be a custom one for Rexy's, then there's the nursery, Sunset's, the Petting Zoo, and maybe the Dilophosaurs and the Raptor Squad."

It was then that a screech rang through the home as Blue realized that Owen had taken advantage of her distraction.

* * *

Jess was in front of her computer terminal going through the database when she jumped a bit as a mug of coffee was set down on the desk beside her. A moment later her father pulled up a chair and sat down as he sipped his own coffee. "So what are you working on now?"

With a chuckle, she gratefully took a sip from the mug that he had brought her. "Oh... just a little project."

Raising an eyebrow, Gerry glanced at the screen and then sighed as he set down his mug. As he pinched his nose, he shook his head. "Why... do you have a list of predators that we have blood samples for?"

All Jess did was raise an eyebrow at her father before she turned back to the list. "Why do you think?"

For a moment, Gerry stared at her before he sighed. "Jess, we talked about this. I thought that we agreed that we were not going to use the amulet..."

Shaking her head, Jess shifted in her seat so that she could look at her father directly. "No, we agreed that you wouldn't, not that I wouldn't use it."

His eyes narrowing, Gerry frowned. "Jess..."

Placing her mug down, Jess leaned back and looked at the ceiling. "Dad... so far we've gone through two different incidents here on the island. And both times I felt so damn useless. Yes, this time we had some semblance of control... But I felt so useless both times." Turning back toward the screen, Gerry could see that her mind was not there with him, but months and more then two decades earlier. "I was unable to actually help..."

As he leaned forward, Gerry frowned as he was reminded of his own experiences with both parks. "But you did help, Jess. Between the two of us, we managed to keep the few park personnel and visitors who got left behind alive. We also saved a number of the animals... Though you are a damn good shot with that rifle of yours."

There was a small smile on Jess' face as she nodded. "Nima taught me that..." But only a few seconds after, Jess was frowning again. "Still... I would feel a lot better if I was able to help out better. And the amulet is one way of doing so... besides." She gave her father a small grin. "I've always wanted to know what it's like from the perspective of a dinosaur."

Shaking his head, Gerry sighed, though he kept from smiling as his lips twitched. "This is you getting that tattoo all over again, isn't it?"

Once she rolled her eyes, Jess glanced down at her ankle where there was a butterfly as did her father. Her movement though caused her shirt to move and reveal a tattoo on her shoulder of a grave along with the skulls of a Troodon, two Pteranodons, and a Dimorphodon. Then Jess' shirt slid back into place and covered them as she sat up. "In that you said that I can't, and then I still go ahead and do it? Yeah, it's that all over again."

After he sighed, Gerry rubbed his face. "Please at least tell me that you're taking this seriously along with any choices that you make?"

While she rolled her eyes again, Jess took a drink of her coffee before she gestured at the screen with her mug. "Of course I'm taking this seriously." At Gerry's look, she reached out and tapped the keyboard and brought up a shorter list. "These are the choices that I've made so far."

Gerry frowned as he looked them over. "Hmm... Baryonyx... Metriacanthrosaurus... Herrerasaurus... Dilphosaurus?" It took him a few more moments before he turned toward his daughter with a interested look. "All of these are medium sized carnivores..."

Leaning back, Jess stretched a bit before she glanced at a video of the quarantine pen which showed the Dryosaurus still there. "Claire's got big covered and Owen and the Raptors got the small. Might as well help out with a medium sized one."

As his lips twitched, Gerry chuckled. "No Ceratosaurus?"

With a snort, Jess shook her head. "I get the feeling that Ami will be invited to use the amulet, in which case that's likely what she'll use."

Chuckling, Gerry leaned back and shook his head. "That's true..."

* * *

Thunder boomed and lightning flashed behind the windows as inside the bedroom, Sunset shuddered a bit in her "nest" behind the baby fence that had been put up. Even though before she had fallen asleep, Ami had turned up the music and put it on a loop, it didn't help much. Despite being frightened though of the raging storm outside, however, Sunset didn't make much noise unlike the last time. Part of this was due to how Ami had put in nightlights into all the wall sockets which gave a dim glow to the room. Hence, the Ceratosaurus was able to see to an extent, though her focus was on the sleeping human on the bed.

Finally, Sunset moved her nest aside and walked over to where the fence attached to the wall. Normally, Ami would not have had a carnivore in her room. But from talks with other handlers, her own experience, and the research she had read, the infant period and spending time with the young dinosaur was the most important time to form the bond by spending as much time as possible with them. Ami was used to the Metriacanthrosaurs, although and they were not the smartest. The set up she had made would have stemied them. However, Ceratosaurs were quite a bit smarter then the Metriacanthrosaurs though it was never mentioned in InGen's files.

So she would not have guessed that Sunset had figured out how the gate was locked into place. For several moments the young dinosaur bumped her snout against the latch before she pulled away. With a huff, she had turned around and grabbed one of the sticks she had grabbed outside earlier in the day, and put it under the latch. It took Sunset a few minutes, but finally, she unlocked the gate and pushed it to the side. She did have to take a rest though as her leg began to tremble.

A few minutes later though she was moving through the room as she kept an eye on the bed. "{ _Why Not-Prey nest so high? Is hard to get up!_ }" Her young mind puzzled over the problem as she laid down again to rest her leg. Outside, a loud boom caused her to shake and let out a whimper. But in the light, she spotted something and blinked. "{ _Fake-Skin den?_ }" Walking up to the dresser, she puzzled over it before she looked up at the bed and her eyes widened. "{ _I know!_ }"

Gripping the handle in her mouth, she pulled out the first one out all the way and then got into it. Grabbing the other, she also pulled it out a distance and stepped onto it. Finally, she was nearly to the bed and pulled out a third drawer which allowed her to clamber up onto the bed. Sunset winced though as her leg throbbed from all the work she was putting onto it, but she ignored it and walked over to where Ami slept. For a few moments, she looked down at her handler as the lightning flashed before she curled up beside her. A second later, having felt the shift in the mattress, the still mostly asleep Ami turned a bit and put her arm over Sunset. Soon, the hatchling drifted off to sleep... 

* * *

The first thing that Ami did when she woke up was to hug her stuffed toy closer to her as she felt that there was something wrong. It took her a few moments, but the movement of her "Toy" and a soft whine caused her to realize what it was. Her eyes shot open and she slowly looked down to see Sunset looking up at her curiously. 'She... got out and into my...' Ami's heart began to swiftly beat in her chest as she remembered the tales of those handlers who had gotten way too relaxed around their animals and paid for it. "Oh... oh shit..."

Having smelt the panic coming from her handler, Sunset looked around to see what caused it only to see that Ami kept her eyes on her. As she whined, the small Ceratosaur tilted her head up and nuzzled Ami and gave her a small lick. "{ _Caretaker-Ami? What wrong?_ }"

Unknown to Sunset, the lick and nuzzle did the job and snapped Ami out of her rising panic attack. Reaching out with a shaky hand, Ami slowly stroked down Sunset's back, feeling the bony plates on the small dinosaur's back against her palm. 'Okay... calm down, Ami. Calm down... you're alright, Sunset didn't hurt you. Last night was a bad storm...' A glance out the window told her it was still going on. 'And it's still there. She must have gotten scared and gone for comfort...'

Suddenly, one nearby bolt caused the building to shudder and Sunset gave a loud squeal before she buried her head into a surprised Ami's armpit. "{ _I hate big booms! Big booms bad!_ }"

Ami couldn't help but chuckle a little, though she did wince at Sunset's growing nose horn digging into her skin. "Shhh... shhhh... it's okay, baby girl." The sight of the green eye as it looked up at her calmed her even more before she turned onto her back and sat up, placing one arm around Sunset as she looked around the room. 'Let's see... she somehow unlocked the latch? How...? The files didn't say anything about that...' Blinking, the handler spotted the open drawers and her eyes widened as she looked down at Sunset. "Did you open those to make stairs, Sunset!?"

Curious, Sunset followed her gaze and huffed. "{ _Do what?_ }"

Letting out a breath, Ami frowned as she grabbed a tablet. Unknown to Sunset, Ami had placed cameras in the room pointed toward her pen. Using the tablet, she rewound the tape to just before Sunset had escaped and watched. As she saw Sunset use the stick to unlock the latch and eventually go to the dresser, Ami raised her opinion of the Ceratosaur's intelligence. "You used the stick as a tool, baby girl? And figured out how to make stairs out of the dresser drawers? That's..." Her mind raced as she considered it. 'Okay... that's corvid level thinking at the least. Not Raptor level, but still... Why the hell was none of this in InGen's files...?'

Seeing the video, Sunset cocked her head to the side. 'Looks like Horn-Hunter? Like me?' A moment later, Sunset snorted before she bumped Ami with her nose horn to get her attention. Once she had gotten said attention, she let her tongue loll out. "{ _Am hungry, want food Caretaker-Ami!_ }"

It took Ami a few seconds, but she figured it out and then rubbed Sunset's head. "You're hungry, huh Sunset?" Getting another whine, the handler put the tablet back down onto the drawer top before she picked up the Ceratosaur with a grunt. "You're getting bigger, huh? Got to weigh you and measure before I give you anything I guess..." A frown crossed her face before she scowled. 'And I'm only just realizing how little information InGen had... I got a lot of writing to do and maybe plan some activities to see just how smart she is...' With a glance back at the pen, her frown returned. 'And figure out some way of preventing her from escaping again just because she needs some comfort...'

* * *

Rexy curled up onto the couch as Blue flicked through the channels one by one. Glancing out the window, she frowned at the rain that still pounded against the windows as thunder boomed and lightning flashed. 'Ugh... at least as a Big-Hunter I could walk around...'

" _... And in the Savannah, the King of the Plains, the Lion..._ "

" _... Who lives in a pineapple under the sea..._ "

" _... GODZILLA! ..._ "

" _... And Jessica 'Jag' Aguilar has just landed a **massive** blow to Alexis 'Ally-Gator' Davis! ..._ "

Still flipping through channels, Blue was surprised as Rexy grabbed her shoulder. "Turn it back."

With a frown, Blue snorted. "Nothing on."

Her eyes narrowing, Rexy leaned down as Blue glared defiantly back. "I said, turn it back several channels."

All Blue did was grip the remote closer to her chest before she hissed as her sisters all watched in interest. "Magic-memory-stick is mine! Stern-One can wait turn!"

While she growled low, Rexy glared right back. "Give."

There was silence as the two currently human dinosaurs glared at each other. Then Blue narrowed her eyes at Rexy and hissed. "Stern-One not dinosaur now, human like Blue! Is equal fight! So try and take it, you little shit!"

For a few seconds the air itself seemed to have stilled as the storm outside was muted. Then with a shout, Rexy launched herself at the surprised Blue. 

* * *

Both Claire and Owen had been working together to make lunch for their now full house when they heard the shout. That was followed a few moments later by screeches, hisses, yells, and thumps. Slowly, the two turned toward each other and it was Claire who voiced the question on their mind. "What in the name of..."

When there was the sound of something crashing to the floor, Owen winced. "I have no idea, but we got to stop this."

The two of them dropped what they were doing and rushed toward the living room/Raptor den, only to blink at the sight that met them. Mainly the sight of a slightly winded Rexy holding back a struggling Blue with one hand on said transformed Raptor's forehead. "HA! Magic-Memory-Stick is now mine!"

Screeching, Blue shot forward. "GIVE BACK! GIVE BACK! IS MINE! MINE!"

However, Rexy only brought up one foot, shoved it into Blue's face, and pushed it back. Meanwhile, she flipped the channels back until it focused on the female mixed martial arts match. "No."

Claire and Owen watched this and then shared a sigh before they walked back to the kitchen as they shared the same thought. 'We are not dealing with this...' Behind them, there was another enraged shriek from Blue who demanded the remote back.

Walking into the room with plates of food a few minutes later, Owen and Claire just raised an eyebrow at the sight that met them. Perched on one of the couch arms was Blue who pretended that Rexy was not at the other end. Rexy meanwhile had a large smirk on her face as they continued to watch the fight on the television. As she set down a plate of sandwiches, Claire chuckled a bit at the highly interested expression on Rexy's face. "Enjoying yourself?"

As she nodded, Rexy glanced at her before she frowned a bit. "Is liking sight of human females in dominance fight. Learning how to fight as human from watching."

Charlie looked up from her bowl of meat and chirped a bit. "{ _Still not know why they fighting. Does not seem for mates or territory..._ }"

There was a smile on Owen's face as he shook his head. "It's mostly for bragging rights. If one of them beats the other, then they can claim to be stronger and better at fighting then the one they defeated. Though it would not last long before they're challenged again and sometimes they'll win and other times they'll lose."

Now curious, Blue looked over as she grabbed a sandwich and chomped down on it. "They fight to become Alpha?"

Shaking his head, Owen set down Delta's bowl of meat and moved over to Echo. "Well... it's a bit more complicated then that. Whoever wins will usually either gain or keep their popularity among other humans. There's also trophies or a trophy belt on the line which is proof of their win."

It was then that Echo remembered something and snapped up the meat in her mouth as she turned toward Owen. "{ _Wait, Alpha know how to fight! Remember Barry saying that Alpha have matches!_ }"

For a moment, Owen paused before he sighed. "Well, I do know how to fight, though I haven't in years." He then grinned a bit and looked at Claire. "Though I'm not the only one from what I've heard and seen in a certain someone's office."

Claire only rolled her eyes at him as she grabbed one of her own sandwiches. "Owen, I learned Taekwondo as a kid and have not been in any competitions since I was _twelve_. I'm well out of practice."

Tilting her head a bit, Charlie nodded. "{ _Is like soccer! Fake-Hunts done by human packs!_ }"

Blinking for a moment, the other Raptors nodded before Blue turned toward Owen. "Daddy, teach me to fight like human!"

As he sighed, Owen let a small smile curl his lip as he shook his head. "I'll see what I can do, but no promises. It'll have to wait a bit anyways until the rain has stopped."

Much to his surprise, Delta perked up. "{ _Will teach us too when we become Not-Prey?_ }"

Once he shook it off, Owen smiled a bit more and nodded. "Well, no promises for you girls, but... I don't see too much of a problem."

Leaning back onto the couch arm, Blue blinked and smiled. "Is good idea I had of having turned to this channel to watch human fight!"

While the others all stared at Blue with annoyance, amusement, and disbelief, Rexy reached over and grabbed a pillow. Then with a single movement, she chucked it at Blue and smacked her in the face which caused the transformed Raptor to yelp as she tumbled from her spot. "Not take credit for things you not do."

A moment later, Blue popped up with her hair in disarray before she growled at Rexy. "You little shit! I get you!"

She went to launch herself at the amused Rexy, only for her fellow transformed dinosaur to shove her away by placing a foot in her face. "Not big enough, Crazy-One."

Both Owen and Claire shared a look before they sighed and shook their heads.

* * *

The next day, the weather had cleared up enough and with the previous day to prepare, the ACU Expedition went forward toward Sorkin's lab. Which is why one of Jurassic World's helicopters found itself above the lab building as a firefight occurred below. Suddenly, Claire's voice came over the radio. " _Jurassic World Control to Expedition, what is going on!?_ "

Not even a moment later the voice of the commander of the team came over the radio as the pilot and co-pilot listened. " _Jurassic World Control, be advised that we have discovered a group of people inhabiting the old lab. We are currently attempting to subdue them. However, they do have weapons. From what I can tell, they are mostly old AK-47s._ " A pause and then the helicopter began to turn. " _JW004, we have two heading out in a jeep. Please chase down and stop them._ "

Chuckling, the pilot shared a grin with his co-pilot. "Will do, heading out now."

As they chased the fleeing jeep, the co-pilot shook his head as he watched them. "What do you figure, Bill? Poachers? Some kind of industrial spy?"

With a shake of his head, Bill frowned. "Nah, not poachers since they would not have been stupid enough to set up a camp here. Those guys are more snatch and go. As for industrial spies? What the hell could there be in Sorkin's lab that would be important enough and have lasted this long for them to grab?"

Zooming in the camera, the co-pilot frowned as he spotted the three people in the jeep as they tore along the road. "Command, we have two passengers and one driver." The copter pulled up to avoid some branches, which caused the co-pilot to curse. "Shit, if they make it to the thicker parts of the forest..."

There was a grimace on the pilot's face as he nodded. "We'll lose them in the trees and we won't know if they have an ambush set up..." Flicking a switch, he began to call out. "Fleeing vehicle, pull over now to the side of the road. If you do no, we will be forced to use force to make you pull over. Fleeing vehicle, I repeat..."

While Bill continued to call out using the megaphone, the co-pilot frowned as he looked around before he spotted something. "Look at the river! It's wide enough that we can speed down it and cut them off. Worse comes to worse, they go off-road and give us a good chance of catching them."

Glancing in that direction, Bill nodded. "Sounds good." Close to the deck, the helicopter was just skimming the water to avoid the higher branches as it sped ahead of the car. Once far enough ahead it flew out onto the road and began to hover. "Gotcha."

It was then that the co-pilot noticed that they were looking out onto the water and turned in time to see the water explode as something lunged. "SHIT! PULL UP! PULL THE FUCK UP!"

Bill attempted to pull the helicopter up, but the skids were grabbed by whatever it was and the cockpit was filled with the screeching of strained metal...

* * *

Within the control room, Claire's eyes were wide as she heard the sounds and her mind flashed back to the Indominus. "JW004! Do you hear me?! JW004, do you read!?" Everyone's eyes were on the screen as they Claire continued to shout. "JW004! DO YOU READ, COME IN!"

After several moments, the commander's voice came over the radio. " _Vazquez! Short! Head to JW004's last position on the double! Now!_ "

However, Claire's shook her head. "Captain Adams, send more units if you're sending anyone, they need backup!"

Before the argument could continue though, the shaken voice of JW004's pilot came over the radio. " _N-no need, Sir. Both of us are okay if a little shaken... and JW004 will need some new skids once we get back to base and a overhaul for the engines... Jesus fucking Christ that was close..._ "

Releasing a sigh, Claire shook her head as Captain Adams growled. " _Report!_ "

It was a moment before Bill could say anything. " _Sir... I... it was underwater the whole time. We didn't see it until it lunged and bit the skids. Had to be.. forty five, fifty feet long at the least! Fucking hell, if the skid did not break away from it's weight before it dragged us down..._ "

The co-pilot's soft whisper could be heard over the radio with shock clear in it. " _Or if that poor bastard had not fallen out of the jeep when it swerved to avoid it... damn, it just swallowed him whole like... fuck..._ "

Her voice soft, but steel, Claire narrowed her eyes. "What attacked you?"

For several seconds there was silence before there was a sigh. " _Ma'am, you won't believe this..._ "

* * *

Narrowing her eyes, Claire scowled at the uncomfortable paleontologist on the screen. "A _what_ , Doctor Levine?"

A sigh escaped him as he took off his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose. "From the descriptions and the video recovered from the helicopter's gun camera, I believe that what the creature is would be a Titanoboa _cerrejonensis_. A massive constrictor that lived during the Paleocene Epoch, a ten million year period after the extinction of the dinosaurs. Think of it as a giant Anaconda. Titanoboa was the largest, longest, and heaviest snake to ever live. It mostly stuck to an aquatic environment."

With his face tight, Captain Adams glared at the man on the screen. "I lost two men to that... _thing_ before it escaped. It's damn dangerous, but how dangerous is it?"

Rubbing his face, Levine frowned. "I... pretty dangerous. It would be like the modern day Anaconda, its closest living relative and would eat pretty much anything it can swallow. It might even attempt to kill something and swallow something much too big for it to."

There was a frown on Claire's face as she considered what to do. "So... it's something that could conceivably devour most of our dinosaurs then, not to mention our staff..."

Suddenly, Captain Adams slammed his fist down onto the table. "Damn you, Levine! If you had not kept being your usual asshole self, we could have used that survey plane and seen the damn thing! We could have been more prepared then we would have!"

On Levine's face was an equally angered look. "The plane would not have helped anyways! Titanoboa, unlike dinosaurs, are cold blooded! It would not have registered on the infrared cameras!"

Adams just snarled back. "We would have known about those bastards that were inside the old lab and would not have been caught off guard by them!"

However, their arguments came to an end as Claire punched the top of the table as she practically roared. "ENOUGH!" Both men stared at her stunned and could have sworn that her eyes flashed amber as she growled, the hairs on the back of their necks standing on end. "We can argue the blame later on, once we solve this! For now, I want solutions!"

Sharing a glare, Levine and Captain Adams slowly nodded.


	16. Chapter 16

Disclaimer: Jurassic World is owned by Universal Pictures

" _Hello?_ " -Phone or radio.

"{ _Alpha!_ }" -Dinosaur language.

* * *

Two blurs passed through the underbrush of Nublar's jungle before one of them came to a stop on top of a log and revealed itself as a brownish-red Raptor. For a few moments, the Raptor looked around before he pulled out a satellite phone and pressed some buttons. "Claire? It's Owen."

Claire's voice drifted through the phone as Blue hopped onto the log beside him. " _Found anything yet, Owen?_ "

Shaking his head, Owen growled softly. "No, not yet. Neither of us have found any signs pointing toward the Titanoboa besides that one track way and we lost it in muck. It was old though and mud had mostly dried."

A sigh could be heard over the phone and he could see Claire as she shook her head in frustration in his mind's eye. " _Okay... keep looking and as soon as you find something, let us know and we'll send in the ACU. They're hanging back for your signal._ "

Both Owen and Claire understood why that was as none of them trusted his squad after what happened... a fact that he was hoping to change. "Okay, Owen out." Putting the phone back, he glanced to the side to see Blue utterly silent and with the smell of sadness around her. "Blue? Something wrong baby girl?"

With a jolt, Blue blinked and looked at him before she huffed. "{ _Was thinking of last time pack hunted like this... bad things happened and we..._ }"

Softly, Owen sighed before he bumped her with his snout. "Hey..." When she didn't react much, he bumped his head against hers again. "Hey, look at me, Baby Blue." Once he had her attention, Owen shook his head. "Yes, everything went wrong on all sides. But we learned from that, didn't we? And now we trust each other as pack should. You wouldn't turn against me again, would you?"

That caused Blue to whip her head around and hiss at him. "{ _Would not turn against Alpha! Why even suggest such!?_ }"

However, she was surprised as a moment later, Owen gently laid his claws on her back. "Exactly, Blue. You wouldn't do that again to me. You know that and I know that. Now, that's in the past and I forgave you, especially after what I found out about both the Indominus and what it told you. After all, we couldn't talk like we can now." After a moment, he shook his head. "Anyways, let's head out. We need to find the Titanoboa."

Unnoticed by him was the expression on Blue's face before she followed him. 'But may not forgive self...'

Not too long after however, Owen stopped in a clearing and looked around as Blue came to a stop beside him. "Wait..." His eyes narrowed, he focused on one spot. "There's something there..."

Blue however, took a step forward and hissed at the leaves. "{ _Come out!_ }"

Just as Owen was about to tell her to cool it, two Raptors stepped out from the bushes. One of them, a large female with a scar over one eye, cocked her head as she glares. "{ _You in our territory! Why you here!? Speak or we kill you for intruding!_ }"

Knowing that there were other Raptors in the brush around them, Owen coughed. "We're tracking a danger to our pack and we know it's somewhere nearby."

Her eyes narrowed, the Raptor took a step forward and Owen could feel that this Raptor was experienced and old for it's kind. "{ _Danger? Where? And how do you speak like Soft-Prey?_ }"

As he was about to answer, the Raptor beside the Scarred One spoke up. "{ _See him before! Not Swift-Hunter like us, is Soft-Prey! But can become Swift-Hunter!_ }"

There were hisses of surprise from the hidden pack as Owen glanced around, his muscles bunched and ready to react as Blue crouched and hissed. "{ _Try to attack Alpha, and I kill you!_ }"

Eyes wide, the other Beta crouched and hissed back, but was stopped from answering as the Scarred One nipped her. "{ _Enough!_ }" There was a curious look in her eyes as she switched between Owen and Blue before she let out a chirp. "{ _Accepted Soft-Prey as Alpha? Why?_ }"

Glancing at Owen, Blue got no response so answered truthfully. "{ _Alpha raised Pack-Sisters and self from hatchlings. Always cared as packmembers should. Also proved self to Pack many times... And so am **proud** to call Alpha, Alpha!_ }"

For several moments there was silent before the Scarred One huffed. "{ _And yet, turned against own Alpha for White-One and lies._ }" The fact that it was brought up caused Blue to flinch as Owen looked at the scarred Raptor in shock which she snorted at. "{ _Had packmember nearby, saw and heard._ }" Slowly, Scarred One stepped forward and gave him a curious look. "{ _Would have killed her and sisters for such... yet, came back. Found injured Swift-Hunters and got help. Heal them. Why?_ }"

Owen knew that his answer would decide how this encounter went and narrowed his eyes back as he growled. "They are my pack... my daughters. I would _never_ leave them to die. In fact, I would die myself for them if needed."

He ignored the whimper from Blue at that thought as the two Alphas stared each other down. Suddenly, the Scarred One barked in laughter. "{ _Loyal! May be fool, but loyal to pack. Can see why they follow._ }" There was a considering expression on her face. "{ _May help... but ask for one thing... wish to see self as Soft-Prey._ }"

With wide eyes, Blue was about to sprint forward when she was stopped by Owen's arm blocking her. For some odd reason, he knew this was a test. "Blue, if they attack me, you know what to do." There was a hiss from Blue as said Raptor glared at both Scarred one and her Beta, but nothing else. Reaching up, Owen unhooked the special belt and let it fall.

Then transformed.

Several moments passed before the Scarred One nodded. "{ _Very well, show that you can trust, yet be prepared. Might be good Alpha for your Pack._ }" Once Owen transformed back into his Raptor form, she huffed as she watched Blue help him put the belt back on. "{ _Now, what danger you hunt?_ }"

Looking around the clearing, Owen noticed something on a branch and pointed at it. "It's a giant snake, like that on the branch. But big enough to eat one of us whole."

Her eyes narrowed, Scarred One looked in the same direction and saw him pointing at a boa in the tree. Then the whole clearing exploded into hisses. "{ _Know what you seek, Silent-River-Hunter. Killed two Packmates when Bright Circle not yet above trees. You hunt to kill, yes?_ }"

Nodding, Owen grunted. "Yeah, hunting it so that we can kill it... with help from other... Not-Prey."

There was a snort from her before she gestured for him to follow. "{ _Is good then, want to see it dead, but not powerful enough. Soft-Prey have bang-sticks which can harm. Might be able to kill Silent-River-Hunter. Will allow you in territory this once, will guide to where it happened. But!_ }" A soft hiss escaped her as her eyes narrowed to slits. "{ _Will warn not to enter territory unless first ask permission. Or else will hunt and kill where stand._ }"

As him and Blue fell in with the pack, Owen glanced at the Scarred One. "So... how do I ask for permission then?"

He could have sworn that there was a grin on her face. "{ _If going to be Alpha of own Pack, then need to know... will teach on way..._ }"

* * *

It was not long until the group of Raptors reached a river and stopped a distance away from it. Scarred One looked around with a suspicious gaze. "{ _Is here were the Silent-River-Hunter took packmates. Could be here still..._ }"

Taking a step forward, Owen looked up the stream to see that it was gushing from between stones. 'There's the source... must be one of the drainage tunnels that partially failed.' Looking down the stream, he frowned a bit. "Well... I got one way to see if there's anything in there..." That caused the various Raptors to glance at him before he glanced at Blue who took up a guard position beside him. A moment later, he unhooked his belt and then transformed back into a human and took an orb from one of the pouches. Glancing at the Raptor pack, he motioned back. "You might all want to back up a little..."

Despite being curious, Scarred One nodded and backed up some. Having seen this, Owen gripped a pin attached to the grenade and then tossed it into the river. For a moment there was nothing and then there was a boom which caused the water to explode. Hisses also exploded as Scarred One turned to look at Owen as he tossed another one further down the river. "{ _WHAT DOING WITH BOOM-NUTS!?_ }"

Owen glanced at her and threw one last grenade into the river before he transformed back and once more got his belt on. " _If_ the Titanoboa was still in there, it would either be stunned or hurt and so come up. But it hasn't, so I think was can assume that it's gone."

Seconds passed before Scarred One nodded. "{ _Makes sense..._ }" She then narrowed her eyes. "{ _Give warning next._ }" Giving her a nod, Owen slowly walked forward with Blue close by and when he reached the shore of the river, he walked along it as he looked for signs. Meanwhile, some of the Scarred One's pack went and grabbed some fish that had bumped into the shoreline. Scarred One also scanned the shore and snorted. "{ _Rain made it hard for smell._ }"

As he leaned down, Owen grunted a bit. "Yeah, the smell might be hard to tell because of the showers, but there are other ways. Look here." Both Blue and the Scarred One bent down. "See these shapes in the mud? Also these broken twigs?"

It was Blue whose eyes lit up. "{ _Remember this! Means that snake come this way!_ }"

Nodding, Owen stood up and followed the path, pointing it out with a claw. "The Titanoboa came from this direction through the undergrowth and entered the water right here." He then frowned in thought as he walked along the bank, observing both sides. "Yet I'm not seeing any signs of it having come out besides the attack spot... Which means it might be following the river."

With a intrigued look, Scarred One looked toward Blue and nodded. "{ _Your Alpha smart, able to hunt by signs and not smells and sight._ }"

As Blue preened in Owen's place, said male Raptor dialed into the phone. "Claire?"

Her relieved voice drifted out which caused Scarred One to narrow her eyes as she recognized it from her encounter with 'Tall-Daughter'. " _Owen? Did something happen?_ "

Letting out a sigh, Owen shook his head. "Yeah... There's a river here where the Titanoboa had entered the water, but no signs of where it came out... can you put Lowery on?"

There was the sound of agreement before there was silence for a few moments before Lowery's voice came on. " _Hey, you wanted me?_ "

While he frowned in thought, Owen listened with half a mind as Scarred One told Blue about how the river separated the territories of two packs. "You got Blue's tracker implant on the map?"

A chuckle could be heard as Lowery answered. " _Yeah, I got the Blue girl's tracker implant up right now actually. Claire hasn't let us take it off screen all day and I got at least one person watching it and you. Why?_ "

Glancing down the river, Owen frowned in thought. "We're by a river which the Titanoboa entered. I don't know if it exited further downstream, but if it's anything like an Anaconda, then it might have stayed in the water. Any idea where it leads? Or if there's rapids or anything that could have caused it to exit?"

Clicks could be heard before it stopped. There was ominous silence from the other end before Lowery cleared his throat. " _Well... the river deepens and joins some others, but there's no rapids that would cause it to leave the water..._ "

His eyes narrowed, Owen growled. "What aren't you telling me, Lowery...?"

When Lowery answered, he nearly dropped the phone. " _Owen... that river terminates in the lake near your bungalow. ACU is already converging on the river itself downstream, but can't cover it all..._ "

Owen turned and looked toward Blue who had a wide-eyed look in her eyes. "{ _Sisters in danger! Must go!_ }"

As he hardened his expression, Owen grunted. "Thanks, Lowery, I'm heading back with Blue to check on Echo and the others."

Getting a sound of agreement, he shut off the sat phone and turned toward Blue. But before he could say anything, a voice spoke up. "Well now... I didn't know that InGen created a _talking_ Raptor who was able to use a phone..." Twisting, Owen looked to the other side where a middle aged woman with greying red hair looked him over with interest. Suddenly her eyes narrowed as three Raptors came out and came to a stop beside her in guard positions. Each one of them seemed to be only half the size of the normal ones, but covered in feathers as they snapped. "Unless, you're somehow not a Raptor at all..."

Eyes narrowed, Owen glared in her direction. "And who are you?"

The woman slowly smiled a bit as she reached down and gently stroked the top of one of the Raptor's heads. "Among humans I was known as Doctor Francis White... with my Pack, I'm Alpha Redplume of Outcast Pack..."

* * *

When the call from the Control Center came over the radio and told everyone to head to any nearby shelter, Ami had been on her way to visit Barry and Owen to ask them about how they dealt with the Raptors as hatchlings, mainly so she would have some idea of how to handle Sunset due to her apparent intelligence. That warning though caused her to hurry toward one of the bunkers nearby, which thankfully was close to Owen's bungalow. However, Ami had not gone far when something had lunged from the brushes beside the road and knocked her from her bike. Shaking her head, she heard Sunset's squeal of fear and twisted to see a massive snake slowly rise up as it looked at the shaking infant. Ami didn't even think as she reacted, grabbing a nearby large stick and ran at it. "GET AWAY FROM HER!"

Catching the blow in the eye, the Titanoboa flinched back which gave Ami time to grab Sunset and try to run. The handler didn't get far before her path was blocked by the snake. It hissed as it opened it's mouth and the little Ceratosaur whimpered. "{ _N-no want to be eaten! Don't want Caretaker-Ami to be either!_ }"

Before it could strike though, the air was filled with a loud honk and Tiamat turned in time to see Jess' pickup right before it smashed into it's head. Normally hitting such a large animal would have crumped and badly damaged the truck. But being as she worked in a place with multi-ton animals, Jess had her pickup reinforced. Due to the impact being mostly absorbed by the special "Dino-Bars", the truck was not wrecked, though it was damaged. As she threw her door open as the stunned Titanoboa began to recover, Jess shouted at them. "GET INSIDE NOW!"

Ami practically threw herself into the truck. Once she was inside, Jess closed the door and slammed it into reverse as smoke spilled from the damaged vehicle's hood. Looking over her shoulder, the vet ignored the pursuing serpent as she drove backwards along the road. Frightened out of her wits, Ami shouted. "What in the name of all that is holy is that thing!?"

Grunting, Jess grimaced. "Titanoboa, now hang on!" With a snarl, she twisted the steering wheel _hard_ as Rexy held on for dear life as did Ami, though she kept Sunset clutched close. However, just as she finished her spin with the truck pointed the right way, the Titanoboa lunged at the truck, it's head going underneath from behind and causing the back wheels to lift off the road. Before the truck could continue forward, the front wheels were also lifted off the ground as the giant constrictor began to wrap around the vehicle. "DAMMIT!"

It was to this sight that Claire, who had rushed back toward Owen's bungalow to check on the Raptor Squad, came upon. Her car skidded to a halt as she watched the massive snake wrap the truck in it's coils and begin to squeeze. Getting out of the car and seeing both Jess and Rexy in the front seats as the glass in the windshield began to crack, Claire had a flashback. For a moment, she was not facing the snake, but rather facing the Indominus as it stalked toward her. Then it was over as she saw Rexy look her in the eyes.

And then she knew what to do.

She was no longer weak like she did and as she felt herself grow larger. No longer was she just "Claire Dearing, Operations Manager". Now she was also "Tall-Daughter". Inside her the terror turned into pure rage. At herself for feeling weak, at the Indominus despite it being dead, and at the monstrosity that _dared_ to attack those on her island and under her protection.

The Titanoboa paused part way through crushing the metal creature as she heard a loud roar and turned to see a massive creature glaring at her with pure rage and hate in it's eyes. Unwrapping herself from the metal thing in her coils, she met the challenger with a hiss as she rose up as high as she could. Everything was still as if the world was holding it's breath as two ruling predators from different times and places glared at each other.

Suddenly, it was shattered as Claire roared and charged. As the two titans clashed, Jess threw the sputtering and damaged truck into reverse as Ami just stared. "Tha-that-that was Cla-Claire and... she... how..."

Watching as Claire bit into the side of the snake, Rexy grinned. "Tall-Daughter is proving herself."

Confused, Ami turned toward the woman named Roxanne and paused as she saw the scars on her neck. Having seen Claire transform, her mind put the pieces together as she recognized the scars as the same ones that were on the island's main attraction. "Y-you're..."

Rexy only grinned and showed her large canines as she guessed what the Ceratosaurus handler was about to say. "Yes." A roar of pain caused them to turn back to the fight in time to see Tiamat bite Claire in the throat and throw her body over the Tyrannosaur. Moments later, the massive constrictor began to wrap Claire in her coils. Rexy's eyes widened. "NO!"

Slamming herself into trees close to the road, Claire saw spots in her vision as it became more and more difficult to draw breath. "Eergh..." However, this was enough to snap her out of her rage and she began to think as the coils tightened around her. 'Think... think...' Then Claire spotted the incline beside the road that lead down to the rocky river bank and remembered that she had two advantages that a normal T-Rex did not. One was that she was able to plan like a human...

The other was given to her by the amulet.

Seconds later, she threw herself and a surprised Titanoboa off the small cliff and onto the rocks below. Claire roared at the sound of crunching bones underneath her and again at the stab of pain along her chest. The stunned Titanoboa slackened its grip just enough and Claire seized her chance. Transforming back into a human, she slipped through the gigantic coils, hit the ground rolling and sprang to her her feet. Before the giant snake could react, Tall-Daughter's massive head came crashing down on its neck, jaws gaping and eyes blazing in fury. Then, just to make sure, she slammed one taloned foot down on the snake's belly and ripped it open.

Feeling bones snap under her teeth and blood gush into her mouth, Claire clinched her jaw tighter as the Titanoboa's struggles became weaker and weaker. Finally, after what seemed like minutes, it went limp though Claire still waited nearly a minute to drop it. Though her ribs ached, the transformed human looked down at her dead foe and took a deep breath and then roared in victory as up above, Rexy only nodded with a proud expression as she watched her. 'Very good for first real battle, Tall-Daughter...'

Jess meanwhile skidded her way down the incline before she stopped before Claire who had transformed back and was swaying. Catching her just as she fell, Jess looked over her with a worried expression. "How are you feeling?"

As she winced after taking a breath, Claire shook her head. "My ribs hurt..." When Jess prodded them, the red head let out a hiss. "Ugh!"

Frowning, Jess shook her head. "They're probably bruised at best, let's get you back to Owen's so I can wrap them. Maybe do something about that bite on your neck as well..."

There was a confused look on Claire's face before she brought her hand up to her neck and pulled away as it felt wet. Sure enough, there was blood on it. "Y-yeah... that might be a good idea..." Just as she turned with Jess helping her as Rexy also came down, Claire spotted the wide eyed Ami at the top of the incline and only had one thought that later on she blamed being around Owen and Blue so often for.

'Shit.'

* * *

Sitting in a chair, Ami held her head in her hands before she ran her fingers through her hair and looked up. Across from her, Claire grunted as Jess tightened the wraps around her ribs. The vet glanced at her and sighed. "Sorry, Claire. I got to make sure that these are tight enough... at least I can't feel any broken ribs, just some bad bruising."

As she nodded and winced, Claire reached up and felt the bandage on her throat which hid one of the bites that the Titanoboa had gotten in. "And no one is as thankful as I am for that..." She then glanced at Ami who had turned to watch Sunset as the little Ceratosaur was looking up at a curious Charlie as her sisters chattered excitedly. "How are you holding up?"

With a nervous laugh, Ami turned back to her. "How am _I_ holding up?" Suddenly, she slumped and sighed before she glanced at Rexy. "I just found out that my boss can become a T-Rex, the most powerful predator on the island. Her boyfriend can become a Raptor. That one of his Raptors and Rexy can become humans... and all because of an amulet."

Jess shared a look with Claire before the vet cleared her throat as she helped Claire get her blouse back on. "It is rather unbelievable I guess..."

Shaking her head, Ami sighed before she looked down. There was Sunset who had limped over to nuzzle her leg. With a small smile, Ami reached down and gently picked up the young dinosaur before she held her in her lap. "If I had not seen it with my own eyes, then I wouldn't believe it. But... I saw her turn from human to dinosaur and back more then once. Can't really deny that..."

There was a frown on Claire's face as she leaned forward with a slight wince, not having noticed Rexy give her an look that held some worry, but also pride. "Ami..." The handler looked up since Claire had dispensed with just calling her "Miss Kobayashi" since the fight. "I don't think that it needs to be said, but you can't tell anyone about this..."

Claire trailed off as Ami laughed a bit. "Like anyone would believe me if I told them..." She then ran a hand along Sunset's spines, getting some comfort from the gesture as the Ceratosaur nuzzled her. "I guess that if you can understand both Raptors and T-Rexes, that would explain why you also seem to understand Sunset here..."

While she nodded, Claire smiled down at Sunset. "I can understand her... she really does care for you." Seeing that she had Ami's attention, she continued. "Sunset. She cares for you pretty deeply. In fact, she calls you 'Caretaker-Ami'."

Still running her hand along Sunset's spine. much to the Ceratosaur's enjoyment, Ami softly smiled. "I guess that explains why she's always coming up and nuzzling me... or sneaking into my bed."

As she blinked, Sunset looked up at her. "{ _Caretaker-Ami's nest is really soft! Like it much!_ }"

Raising an eyebrow, Ami glanced up at Claire who chuckled. "She says that your 'Nest' is really soft and she likes it."

For a few moments, there was a thoughtful look on Ami's face as she frowned. Then she sighed softly and shook her head. "Now what is going to happen?"

Unseen by her, Claire shared a smile with Jess before she cleared her throat. "Ami?" Looking up, Ami could see the look on her boss' face. "We have been talking about bringing you into the secret anyways... and offering you the use of the amulet like with Jess."

Surprised, Ami blinked. "Wait, you would let me use it and become a dinosaur? But which..." It was then that Ami felt Sunset bump her nose horn against the palm of her hand and looked down to see one green eye that was looking up at her. "... Oh."

* * *

Taking the drink that Jess passed her, Ami sighed as she slumped into a chair while they could hear a small amount of the muffled conversation outside on the porch. As she took a swing, Jess raised an eyebrow at her. "Finally hitting you now, huh?"

While she nodded, Ami took a sip as she tried to hold her grip steady. "Yeah..." A moment later, she set it aside and held her head in her hands. "I nearly got eaten by a giant, prehistoric snake along with Sunset. Then saw my boss turn into a T-Rex and fight said snake to the death. Get brought back here where I found out there's a magic amulet that lets people become dinosaurs and dinosaurs to become human... And also get offered to be given the amulet to become a Ceratosaurus like Sunset. Not to mention lying to the ACU investigator about exactly what happened... I'm amazed that I'm not falling apart right here."

Not even a moment later, she felt a gently hand lay itself on her shoulder and looked up to see Jess there with a kind smile on her face. "Speaking from experience, even a small amount would be a lot to deal with. All this together? It would overwhelm almost everyone."

Snorting, Ami took another swing of her drink. "You don't seem to be bothered too much by it."

In reply, Jess shrugged a bit. "I'm kind of used to high stress situations. But even then, some of this caught me by surprise when I first found out about it."

Her words caused Ami to remember that she was looking at someone who had gone through two disasters at the park, once when she was just a teen. "So what's next?"

Jess pulled away a bit and grabbed her own drink before she took a sip. "Well... right now we're just waiting on Owen and Blue to find out what took them so long. If you mean the snake... I have no doubt that the ACU already has transport helicopters there and are preparing to move the carcass. Probably to Cryo-Barn 2 since that would be the biggest they have."

That caused Ami to look up in curiosity as she had needed something to focus on before she glanced at where Sunset was eating some pieces of meat. "I've never been to the Cryo-barns..."

Snorting, Jess shook her head. "You haven't missed anything. All they basically a large scale commercial refrigerated warehouse. Usually we use them for cold storage except for one barn that's left empty at all times. Just in case one of the larger animals dies so we can do autopsies and such in there. Trust me, crawling around inside a dinosaur's chest cavity to find out what killed it and for study is bad enough _without_ needing to worry about the flesh putrefying around you from the heat."

With her face having a disgusted expression at the thought, Ami shuddered a bit. "I can imagine..." Then a thought crossed her mind that she wanted an answer to. "You do that often?"

As she leaned against the counter, Jess tilted her head from side to side. "From time to time, yes. Heck, about... two months back we had a Rex bull die over on Sorna and they brought it here to the park. One of the poachers had gotten it, but was caught before he could start to butcher it. So Claire had it brought here to Nublar and stored in the Cryo-Barn. Then I got the call that National Geographic was sending in a team and film crew to take footage of the autopsy. Needless to say, I don't think I cut a fine figure kneeling in the Rex's chest and passing it's liver to one of the team members covered in blood and fluids. Probably will put a dint into my dating aspects once it's shown on television."

Ami gave her a slight grin. "No doubt something that your father is happy about if he's anything like mine."

Rolling her eyes, Jess scoffed. "You have _no_ idea... I'm pretty much certain that he arraigned for me to be on the team for exactly that reason." Then she waved a hand around. "Anyways, we'll probably get a team in to dissect it which I'll be part of along with my dad. What happens next depends on what we find. I don't doubt that the skin might be used to make some very exclusive items to bring in some money, kind of like how when Rexy loses teeth, we often sell them. The skeleton will also be sold as well..."

After a few moments, Jess shrugged before they slipped into silence. It was around then that Sunset finished her meal and limped over to Ami and waited. Chuckling, her handler reached down and lifted her up into her lap. "You're being awfully clingy now, aren't you?" Her nails gently scratching Sunset's neck, Ami turned back to Jess. "Thanks again for looking her over when we got here."

With a slight laugh, Jess reached over and rubbed Sunset on the head. "It was nothing, she's a little sweetie and one of my best patients."

Several seconds of silence went by before Ami spoke up again as Sunset settled in sleepily. "Would it be a problem if I asked you a question...? Now before it really starts to bother me?"

Humming, Jess raised an eyebrow and finished off her drink. "Go right on ahead."

As she continued to gently scratch Sunset, Ami looked up at the vet. "Why me? Why would I be in consideration for this?"

It was not hard for Jess to guess what Ami meant. "Well, when you accepted being Sunset's handler, Claire saw something there she liked. I already knew that you would be the kind of person that could be trusted. But... Claire wanted to make sure first." Thoughtful, Jess tilted her head. "When we sent teams in to help with the animals two days after the disaster, you were in Team Two and went straight for the Baryonyx and Metriacanthrosaurs to make sure they were alright. You also helped out with the original evacuation... all good points. But there's an even bigger reason."

Now curious, Ami raised an eyebrow as she shifted the small dinosaur in her lap some. "And what was that?"

There was a small smile on Jess' face as she pointed toward Sunset. "Mainly because of Sunset. The way that you acted around her even before you became her handler as well as after. I don't understand dinosaurs, but from what Rexy said as well as Claire, she's had nothing but good things to say about you..."


	17. Chapter 17

Disclaimer: Jurassic World is owned by Universal Pictures

" _Hello?_ " -Phone or radio.

"{ _Alpha!_ }" -Dinosaur language.

* * *

As he sat and poked the fire, Owen glanced to where Claire sat in a lawn chair, seemingly asleep. However, this was shown to be false once she opened her eyes and sighed. "I'm alright, Owen." Seeing his disbelieving look, Claire rolled her eyes. "Really. I already got checked out by the doctors back at the Center and all I got is some bruised ribs and some bites."

With a frown, Owen glanced to where Jess was walking out with some beers alongside Gerry with both Blue and Rexy following. "And how did you explain the bites?"

Snorting, Claire shook her head as she curled up some and stared into the fire. "Told them that I landed on a boa when I got knocked out of the way by the Titanoboa's tail during the fight between it and 'Rexy'."

It was then that Rexy walked up and huffed. "Should take credit for your own fight, Claire. Did very well in first real battle."

That only caused Claire to smile a bit before she shook her head. "Can't. But we know and I think that's good enough." After a few seconds, she gratefully took the juice from Jess as they all sat down. Then Claire turned toward Owen with a frown on her face. "Now then... you said that you would explain why you took so long to get back."

For almost a minute, Owen was staring into the fire before he answered. "Me and Blue came across those Raptors you told us about, Claire."

Sucking in a breath, Jess shared a look with her father before she cleared her throat. "Did one of them really have a scar across it's left eye?" At his nod, she cursed. "Fuck... I thought that bitch was dead."

That caused both Claire and Owen to raise an eyebrow before they resolved to ask both Jess and Gerry later as neither looked in the mood to talk. Clearing his throat, Owen got their attention again. "Well, the two of us came across two issues. One was that the Scarred One, as she's called, knew that I'm human and able to transform." At the looks, he shook his head. "She's apparently had some of her pack keep a watch on the park. That said... we came across a bigger issue soon enough."

Claire glanced at where Rexy and Blue amused themselves by poking the embers of the fire while they drank sodas. Feeling her heart sink, she turned back to Owen. "And what could possibly be worse then that?"

His next words were like a punch to the gut. "There's actually _two_ Raptor packs in the Restricted Zone."

With his eyes wide, Gerry straightened. "Wait, two packs!? But how? There shouldn't have been enough time for the Scarred Raptor's pack to have grown enough to split, they only had four."

A frown grew on Owen's face as he sipped his beer in thought before he glanced to where Barry could be seen in the window for the Raptor's room. "Remember the report from Alan Grant that he found a nest close to the Gallimimus Paddock? Which had eggs and Raptor tracks?"

Frowning himself, Gerry thought back. "Yeah... but it was dismissed as being a case of mistaken identity as there were only two groups, neither of which had males. There was also too short a period of time when they could have mated, laid eggs, and then had those eggs hatch." He paused before he turned to stare at Owen. "... He wasn't mistaken, was he?"

Slowly, Owen shook his head. "No, that was an actual Raptor nest. The second pack was lead by none other then the missing Doctor Francis White."

Barely able to catch her drink before she spilled it, Claire stared at him. "But she's been missing since 1988! If she's been there in the jungle then..."

The Raptor trainer nodded as he drained the rest of his beer. "She's been in the wilderness of Nublar for almost thirty years now running around with a pack of feathered Raptors that seem to be utterly loyal to her." Reaching over for the cooler, he grabbed another beer and opened it, which got him a worried look from Claire. After all, that was his third beer of the night. "Thankfully, she just thought I was some sort of experiment due to being able to speak English. That said... she's utterly crazy and must have been for years."

Curious, Jess raised an eyebrow as she watched Owen gulp down some beer. "Well, she has been out in the jungle without human contact for more then twenty years..."

All that got was a snort from her father who shook his head. "No, I remember Francis from when I started. She was rather... off kilter to begin with and disliked being around humans, prefering animals for company. That was one of the reasons why she was hired, because she was that good."

Silent for a moment, Owen shook his head. "I got her story while I was there as she was trying to convince both Blue and myself to leave the Park and stay with either pack. It was her eyes though... I've only seen those eyes in some people and it never ended well."

Placing her drink to the side, Claire frowned. "What happened?"

For a moment, Owen stared into the fire and then took a gulp of his own drink. "Apparently back when the first park was being built, she discovered like me how Raptors can imprint on those they see. And if you stayed with them as they grew up, you could train them. But she disliked the park personnel who she saw as violent thugs. White believed that using tranqs and shock sticks to have some control over various dinosaurs as being wrong."

Gerry nodded at that as he thought back. "Yeah... that sounds like her." Seeing the looks, the old vet waved around a hand. "We had to break up a dominance fight between Lady Margaret and another Trike. That meant I had to shoot them both using a tranq rifle and even then, they weren't down for the count which meant using shock sticks to separate them in their drugged state. I remember her lacing into me for being a... what was it now...?" Then Gerry nodded. "'A low brow criminal animal abuser'."

His daughter just stared at him. "What!? How the hell else were you going to stop something like that!?"

All the vet did was shrug. "She thought that we should either let them continue, or to try and gently separate them. And considering both of them wrecked a jeep in their drugged state... not to mention your own experience with Lady Margaret when she has a bug up her frill, you can guess how that would go."

Nodding, Owen grunted as he ran a hand through his hair. "Of course, eventually they had enough of her and Ludlow confronted her where she was working with her Raptors. The two got into an argument which got physical... so she released the Raptors to aid her."

There was silence from the whole group as even Rexy looked at Owen in surprise. Claire finally found her voice. "She... released the Raptors..."

While he waved around a hand, Owen grunted. "According to her, she didn't want them to kill him, only separate them. White may even believe that now. But I can tell you from experience that's a bunch of utter bullshit. Raptors, like a lot of carnivous animals that live in groups, will attack anything that's physically attacking their Alpha or parental figure. Even _bears_ would defend their trainer with deadly force. There is no way in fucking hell that a behaviourist with that much experience would not know they would be going for the kill in that situation..."

Blue gave a quiet hiss. "Would kill anyone who attacked daddy! Rip them to shreds!"

Silent, Claire ran her hand through her hair. "She was trying to get him killed..."

With a scowl, Owen finished off his beer. "White was and that much is obvious. Ludlow apparently had a gun though and killed one Raptor before he tried to shoot her. But she escaped out into the jungle with the pack and hid. I'm sure that Hammond and the others thought they were dead due to the Lysine Contingency, but Sorna showed how good that was. But yeah, she's stayed out there because she does not want to deal with humans... though I suspect that at the start it was because she was afraid of being arrested for attempted murder."

Having spotted him reaching for another beer, Claire reached over and grabbed his wrist to stop him. "I think that's enough, Owen." It was then that she noted the slight tremble to him. "Owen? Are you okay?"

For several moments, Owen stared at her before he gently pulled his arm away from her and held his head in his hands. "I... don't know."

Claire shared a look with Gerry and the others, who got up and walked a distance away as she reached over and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Want to talk about it?"

A bitter laugh escaped from the Raptor trainer's mouth as he shook his head. "What's there to talk about? Seeing White is like seeing myself in some sort of twisted, horror funhouse mirror. You... can't really imagine it, Claire. She's like this dark reflection of me. Of my beliefs regarding animals... It just..."

When he slumped, Claire got up from her chair and gently sat on the log beside him before she wrapped him in her arms. "I'm right here, Owen. And trust me, you are _nothing_ like her."

Staring into the fire, Owen could only sigh as he drew some comfort from his girlfriend's embrace.

* * *

Claire stood on the porch of the bungalow as the sun slowly came up, a steaming mug of coffee in her hands as she stared at nothing in particular. However, the sounds of footsteps behind her snapped Claire out of her thoughts and she turned to see Rexy. One part of her was amused to see the mug of tea the transformed dinosaur while another part felt a bit self-conscious under Rexy's scrutinizing stare. "Feeling better, Claire?"

Nodding, the red head nodded as she turned back toward the lake and sipped her coffee. "A lot better, actually. I'm actually surprised that my ribs aren't aching as much and the bites only really itch... even my bruises seem to have faded some."

As she sipped her own tea, Rexy came to a stop beside Claire and joined her in watching the lake. Several minutes passed before she spoke. "Am very proud of you, showed that you are equal to me. Fought very well against... legless thing."

With a slight laugh, Claire shook her head. "Titanoboa, or just call it a snake." That simply got her a shrug from Rexy. "... I also had a good sleep last night." Knowing that the Amazon-like woman was listening intently, even if she showed no sign, Claire continued. "The Indominus visited me in my dreams like always last night..."

Taking a sip of her tea in thought, Rexy hummed before she spoke. "And what did you do to the White-One in your dream?"

Suddenly, Claire's eyes flashed amber and a smile that would not be out of place on a Tyrannosaur appeared on her face. "I taught it who was the real boss."

Rexy simply nodded at that. "Good."

Neither of the two really needed to talk as they stood there, just watching the sun rise and listening to the birds. Hearing the sounds in the kitchen, even out the front, Claire shook her head. "At least, I got a okay sleep... I think that meeting White really shook up Owen as he tossed and turned all night."

That got a raised eyebrow from Rexy, neither even thinking about why Claire would open up to her as they were so used to it from the time that the Tyrannosaur was in her paddock. "Should not worry, is much different from her." A frown then crossed Rexy's face. "Been thinking... What does this... 'Doctor' look like?"

Interested, Claire grabbed her tablet from where it was beside her and rapidly went through it. Finally, she held it out for Rexy to take. "This is the last photo we got of her."

Silently, Rexy looked down at the image and narrowed her eyes. "Yes, remember her... Perhaps should talk elsewhere."

Her eyes widening, Claire glanced into the bungalow before she cleared her throat. "How about you follow me a bit." Both of them walked off the patio and a distance from bungalow before Claire turned toward Rexy with a frown. "You know her? And from what you're sounding, it was nothing good."

Grunting, Rexy shook her head. "Was free and able to wander island for many years. Sometimes Not-Prey would arrive on island. But her... she liked to bring Not-Prey to me. Lead them to nest and leave them there, once with them unable to run."

While her posture stiffned, Claire felt her stomach churn. "... You ate them, didn't you?"

For a few moments, Rexy was silent before she sighed. "Yes, did not like taste but prey is prey. But she... doctor, always was shouting. Saying I judged soul of Not-Prey and found them wanting. Never made sense, seemed... crazy." Rexy frowned in thought, her mind working faster then it had when she was just a dinosaur. "Once, brought one who could not walk right. Seemed wrong to do such thing to same kind."

A shiver went down Claire's back at what she had just been told. "Rexy... what she did _was_ wrong. She was using you to do bad things for her." The T-Rex narrowed her eyes in anger at the thought of being used. Meanwhile, Claire took a deep breath. "I... could you keep this to yourself? I'll tell Owen later, but not right now."

Glancing at the woman beside her, Rexy nodded. "Will do as asked and not say anything. But if I see doctor, I eat her."

With a frown, Claire only nodded. "That I don't have an issue with from what you both have told me... It might be for the best."

* * *

Sitting at her desk, Claire was interrupted by an incoming video call on her computer. The red haired woman raised an eyebrow before she opened it to see Pat James, the current boss for the construction teams on the island. "Pat, did something come up that you needed to let me know about?"

However, the man on the other end only shook his head. "No, I'm just calling you with the schduled update for the land reclaimation project here on the eastern side of the island."

Leaning forward, Claire frowned a bit in thought. "Are we still on schdule?"

There was a smile on Pat's face as he nodded and reached for the camera. "Here, let me show you." For a few moments, the picture blurred as the camera was moved around until it came to a stop. Before it was a stretch of water with what looked like a breakwater being built out to sea. There was a bulldozer and backhoe moving around large rocks while a crane empaced what looked like interlocking concrete blocks. Pat then walked back into view and gestured at the work being done. "As you can see, construction of the dike is coming along as we expected. It should be fully completed within two to three months."

With a soft hum, Claire slowly nodded. "And the fill?"

As he gestured with one hand, Pat chuckled. "Well, we're dredging both the old North Docks as part of the work on the volcanic observatory there. We're also doing the annual dredging of the Ferry Dock. All told, along with fill from the construction for the new attractions, we'll have a nice amount to start off with. The clean up from the recent landslides in the mountain trails will give us the rest of what we need."

Relieved, Claire sat back and smiled. "That's some good news then. And the airstrip we'll be building on it? Should that be ready for our reopening?"

Pat smiled back at her. "We'll have at worst a makeshift one with temporary buildings in time for the reopening of the Park." A frown crossed his face a moment later. "Not having an airstrip capable of small planes really was an oversight..."

Grimacing, Claire shook her head. "We never thought that we needed it. After all, we thought that the Ferry could handle any evacuations or, in the case of hurricanes, we had the storm bunkers. It was never thought that we could have had an incident such as the Indominus happen which the ACU could not handle... an oversight that we're going to be fixing." Sighing, she shook her head before she focused on the matter at hand. "But you're certain that the airstrip will be able to handle an evacuation?"

While he scratched the side of his head, Pat nodded. "Pretty much any plane you can use for a regional airline should be able to handle the airstrip. Most jetliners are out of the question though. Military aircraft could manage it though."

If anything, that brought back Claire's smile. "Thank you then, and tell your crew that they will be getting a nice bonus for the work they're doing." There was a similar smile on Pat's face as he nodded and a few minutes later the call ended. But just as she was about to go back to work, a knock at the door caused Claire to look up. "Come in."

Poking her head in, Vivian Krill gave a slightly nervous smile. "Um... you wanted to see me?"

Much to her surprise, Claire gave her a smile and gestured to a chair. "Please, come in and have a seat, Vivian."

Unsure, Vivian scrambled into the room and sat down, much to Claire's hidden amusement. The red haired woman turned toward her computer and typed something in for several minutes as the younger woman squirmed in her seat. Finally, Vivian took a deep breath. "Ma'am? Can I ask why you asked for me specifically...?"

Giving her a glance, Claire let out a sigh and turned toward her. Then she clasped her hands together and frowned a bit. "Vivian... During the incident, you spoke up against Mister Masrani a number of times in disapproval. You even disobeyed a direct order and sounded the Park-wide alert when you were told specifically not to by your superiors."

Her face paling, Vivian gulped before she took a deep breath. "Ma'am... in all due respect I stand behind my decision and... will accept any punishment for it. I did the right thing and I know it."

For several moments, Claire was silent as she watched the young woman try not to wilt with an expressionless face. Then she spoke in a near whisper. "You may believe so, but do you know what you did?" Seeing the lost look on Vivian's face as well as able to smell the nervousness, Claire's facade finally cracked and she smiled. "Your actions likely saved dozens, perhaps even hundreds, by warning the park personnel to begin evacuation. Because of that, many more people were out of harms way when the Aviary escape happened."

Stunned by the turn of events, Vivian opened and closed her mouth a few times before she finally got something out. "I... um... what?"

Chuckling, Claire turned her screen around so that the younger woman could look at it. "As such, and the fact that you are more then willing to stand up and do what is right for both the park and the parkgoers, I'm happy to tell you that you are on a rather short list for promotion to my assistant."

There was a shocked expression on Vivian's face before it slowly changed into an unsure one. "Your assistant... wasn't that..."

Much to her surprise, Claire seemed to fold in on herself and stare at her hands. "Zara's position? Yes..." Pure emotional pain could be seen on Claire's face as Vivian's eyes went wide, somehow knowing she was being shown a side of her boss rarely seen. "It hurts, I won't deny that. But... recent events have shown that I need an assistant to help. One that I can trust and will know will beholden to the park and those in it. Not to Simon, not to InGen, and not to me. But someone who will place the safety of others ahead of corporate politics... Like you."

Running her hand through her hair, Vivian gulped. "Are... are you sure that you want me?"

Warmth filled Claire's expression as she smiled. "I do, as a matter of fact. You proved yourself during the disaster to be able to handle pressure. You also have all the needed qualifications. Now, it's not certain that you'll get the position, so I don't want to disappoint you. But I did feel that I should tell you ahead of time just in case." Leaning across the table, Claire reached out with her hand. "Congratulations."

Barely able to keep from letting out a squeal, Vivian reached across the desk and shook Claire's hand. "Th-thank you! Thank you so much!"

Once she had left though, Claire reached into a desk drawer and pulled out a photo of Zara and herself and sighed as her eyes misted. "I'm sorry, Zara... I'm so sorry..."

* * *

Ami looked up from where she was cutting a hunk of meat apart when she heard a knock at the door. Frowning, she glanced down to where Sunset was laying on the floor looking back up at her. "Wonder who that is... Sunset, stay there." The ceratosaurus only watched as Ami walked to the door and opened it. After a moment, she blinked in surprise as she opened it further. "Jess? What are you doing here?"

The vet gave Ami a once over and noted the bags under her eyes. "I decided to do my checkup on Sunset here... and to see how you were coping." Her expression then softened some. "Tired?"

Rubbing her face, Ami shook her head. "A little bit.. had trouble sleeping last night because I couldn't stop thinking..." She then opened the door fully and Jess walked in as Ami continued. "At some point, I decided to let Sunset wander around and she got up onto the bed with me... must have knocked out at some point because I woke up a bit ago with my girl there beside me."

With a raised eyebrow, Jess glanced toward the counter and nodded. "Which explains why you're making her breakfast now..." Interested in what Sunset was being fed, Jess looked it over as Ami locked the door. "Hmm... Beef and boiled egg?" There was a smile on her face as she looked down at Sunset. "The breakfast of Theropod Champions."

Unable to help herself, Ami laughed a bit. "I suppose so." Taking the egg out of the pot, Ami quickly took off the shell which she set aside. "Sunset absolutely loves eggs as it turns out."

Crouching down, Jess rubbed Sunset's head much to the young dinosaur's enjoyment. "Of course she does, the little sweetie." Still with a smile, she glanced up at Ami who was working at a mortar and pestle and stood up to see the handler drop in some dried eggshells from a bag into. Then she began to grind it. "Adding some eggshell to her food, I see. That's good, those are a good source of calcium and protein for her. And with her starting to enter her growth spurts, she'll need both."

As she glanced at Jess, Ami snorted as she saw the vet open her mouth. "And before you ask, I give her lots of bones to chew on for her teeth."

Jess simply nodded as she got back down to Sunset's level as she began to examine her. "So then..." After a moment, she decided to just charge ahead as she had always done. "Have you thought anymore about what we offered yesterday?"

Having seen the look Jess gave her, Ami sighed a bit. "There's nothing recording before you ask and... I have." A frown was on her face as she looked down and watched Jess gently examine Sunset's foot. "I'm still shocked at everything and I'm really flattered, but..."

The vet looked up at her and set down the dinosaur's foot. "But?"

While she sighed, Ami cut up the egg into pieces and began to mix it in. "I'm still more then a little stunned that you offered. And I got some questions..." For the moment, Jess backed up as Ami set down the bowl of food which Sunset dove into with gusto. "What can I expect from this? And... well... are you...?"

Smiling, Jess nodded. "Yes, I've been offered and I'm leaning toward getting the Baryonyx. Always did like swimming after all." Watching as Sunset continued to eat, Jess continued. "As for what to expect... like we explained, you would be a Ceratosaur for about a week before you'll be able to turn back."

Much to her surprise though, Ami shook her head as she finished washing her hands. "It's not that really that I'm worried about. It's... who will take care of Sunset for me? I don't want to leave her alone for a week after all."

If anything, Jess' smile widened at the note of worry in Ami's voice. "And that, right there, is why we're offering. As for who... she'll be with you." At the surprised look, and not having seen Sunset stop eating to look up at her, Jess shook her head. "We found a spot not too far from Owen's off the beaten trail. No one ever goes there and is close to the Restricted Zone. Rexy already said that she's willing to bring you food for a week, so that's covered. If anything, your bond with each other will be strengthened even more since you'll be spending time with her as her own species."

There was surprise on Ami's face before it became thoughtful. As she continued to think, she reached down and placed her hand on the bowl which caused Sunset to stop eating. After a few moments, Ami threw her a small piece of extra egg which she gobbled up. Standing up, the handler frowned a bit. "That's quite a bit better then what I was thinking..."

Sunset meanwhile ignored most of the rest of the conversation, though she stopped every so often when Ami reached down and touched the bowl. Not that she minded as her handler would toss her a piece of egg after. Once she was done though, Sunset looked up and gave a huff. "{ _All done, Caretaker-Ami!_ }"

With a smile, Ami crouched down and gently ran her hand down Sunset's neck much to her enjoyment. "Very good, Sunset. You've been very good for both me and Jess and that means that you're going to get something special."

Much to her amusement, all of Sunset's attention focused on her as she took a box and opened it. However, Sunset's attention turned to puzzlement as Ami took out a black bone shaped object the size of her arm. "{ _What that?_ }"

Then Ami squeezed it as hard as she could causing it to emit a loud squeak.

Chuckling at the wide eyed look, Ami held it out and Sunset took it before she bit down. Of course, it squeaked again and the shocked Ceratosaur dropped it and backed up. After several moments, Sunset walked up and then placed one foot onto part and pressed down, getting another squeak. For her part, Jess was trying her best not to laugh at the sight. "I see that you got one of the new specialty made Kong toys..."

Ami grinned as Sunset finally took the squeaky toy into her mouth and began to chew on it, squeaks filling the room. There was a look of pure enjoyment upon the dinosaur's face. "Yeah... she was at the top of the list. It'll probably get annoying, but it's more then worth it..."

Both of them just watched as Sunset's eye closed as the toy continued to squeak. 'Like Squeaker lots! Is so nice!'

* * *

Owen glanced at Blue who picked at the light jacket she was wearing. "Blue, stop that."

Huffing, she glared at him with a scowl. "Does not feel good, daddy. Is way too warm to wear such an extra skin and am all wet from it."

Those words caused Owen to stumble a bit before he shook it off as he realized Blue meant that she was sweaty from the heat and humidity of the afternoon. "... Blue, for my blood pressure, future and present, _please_ do not say it like that..."

More then a little confused, Blue stared at him before she grunted. "Daddy all wierd."

While part of him wanted to growl at her, Owen decided to ignore it. "We're going into a refridgerated building, Blue. It gets really cold in there and the last thing that any of us need is for you to catch a chill and a cold."

A moment later he stiffened at the amused tone in Claire's voice. "And where did all the 'Fun-loving Owen' go to? Especially as he seems to have gotten replaced by someone a bit more mature."

Raising an eyebrow, Owen snorted. "I'm always mature." He pretended not to see Claire's eyes rolling so he could focus more on what Rexy was wearing. "So... where did Rexy get that fancy military jacket?"

Claire turned her head to see Rexy beside her with a military style long coat hanging from her shoulders. On the coat's shoulders were pads with gold ribbons handing from them. "One of the employees a few weeks back decided to sneak it into my office and hung it on a coat rack as a 'gift to El Presidente of Nublar'." As Owen's amusement increased, she crossed her arms. "I wasn't too amused, but forgot about it until Rexy found it."

The transformed dinosaur slowly grinned. "Is mine now, suits me."

As he coughed to hide how hilarious he found the whole thing, Owen turned away so neither of the two could see his grin. "Anyways... we're going to see this snake, right?"

Walking past him, Claire only nodded as she adjusted her own sweater. "Just one moment..."

Rapidly typing in the code, the doors before them opened and a blast of cold air hit them before Claire strode in. The others followed her and Owen glanced at Blue who shivered a bit even under her jacket. "See? I told you that you would need a jacket in here."

While she blinked, Blue smirked at him. "What you saying, daddy? I said I needed a jacket."

Not missing a beat, Rexy reached up and smacked her across the back of the head as she had seen that older human male do on that television show. With a grin across his face, Owen turned back toward Claire who continued down the small entry way. "Should you be in high heels, Claire? The floor is likely slippery."

In reply, Claire looked over her shoulder as they reached another door and began imputting a code. "I ran through a jungle in high heels as well as from dinosaurs... trust me when I say that a little bit of frost doesn't bother me much in this case." She then opened the door as it unlocked. "Besides, you'll be there to catch me."

With a smile, Owen walked up beside her. "Always." Then he stopped as he saw the titanoboa laid out on the warehouse floor, several workers around it as off to the side, Gerry stood overseeing the whole thing. "... Holy shit..."

Her own eyes wide, Blue walked up on Claire's other side and stared at it before she turned toward the red haired woman. "You kill that?" When Claire nodded, Blue only shook her head. "Proved that Daddy's mate is worthy of being Alpha of humans..."

Taking a step forward, Owen ran his eyes over the carcass in front of him. "So what's going to happen with it?"

After she crossed her arms, Claire frowned in thought. "Masrani is sending a team down who will deflesh the skeleton to the best they're able and so we can take DNA samples for our database." Knowing the look Owen was giving her, she shook her head. "We're not going to recreate it if I can help it. But having it's genes to reuse in other projects could help. And a number of scientists want to compare the DNA to modern day boas and anacondas to see how they might be related."

Still, Owen shook his head at the idea before he decided to let it drop for now. "Well... I take it that we're going to be selling the meat then?" At Claire's head shake, he frowned. "Why not? There's a bunch of recipes which use snake meat. And it would be a waste for the meat to just be thrown out."

As she watched the workers, Claire sighed. "As it turns out, shortly before we fought it, the titanoboa acted like a normal boa and reguritated it's last meal... the man the helicopter crew saw get eaten... If it did the same with the raptors, their bodies are probably underwater in the river. Now, with the human remains, that would be enough to put anyone off eating the meat, but the Rex that killed it is another issue." There was a bit of a smirk on her face as her tone turned dry. "Apparently a Rex's mouth is quite filthy, like a komodo dragon's, so they're not going to take much chance with human comsumption. Especially with the bites and claw marks. Instead, we'll be feeding the meat to the carnivores."

For a few seconds, Owen gave her a look before he snorted. "Okay, that's rather hilarious..."

Choosing not to really comment, Claire nodded. "The skeleton has already been bought by the Florida Museum of Natural History seeing as they discovered the original titanoboa remains. But due to the agreement with Columbia, they couldn't keep the fossils."

With a nod, Owen watched as Blue walked up to look at the snake more closely. "What about the skin? Who's getting that?"

That caused Claire to snort a bit. "Skin's too damaged for it to be taken as one whole piece, so instead it was decided that we should instead use it to make various items... I got my eyes on a handbag or maybe some shoes..." Her eyes then twinkled a bit as she glanced at her boyfriend. "And you, Mr. Grady, are getting a nice snake skin vest out of it."

Surprised, he raised an eyebrow at her. "And why would I be getting a vest now?" A smirk then crossed his face. "Unless you want your own Crocodile Dundee..."

All Claire did was shake her head as she stepped forward a bit and gently tugged Owen's vest. "When we decided to continue our relationship, do you remember what we agreed to in regards to each other?"

Owen slowly nodded as he reached up and took her hand. "That we would compromise."

Nodding, the red haired woman smiled. "Yes, we're two different people and understand that. I would not change you and you would not change me. That said, being as you are my boyfriend you could have to meet and greet with some rather high profile people so I had to give it some thought. You're style is you and while you do have some nice shirts and pants, not so much a vest." A smirk crossed her face as she shook her head. "And even some of the more hard nosed people I deal with would be impressed by a one of a kind leather vest made from a fifty foot prehistoric snake's skin."

While he laughed at the expressions he could see himself getting, Owen shook his head. "Okay... you win that one. Especially after meeting a few of them." He then raised an eyebrow at her. "Anything else?"

Much to his surprise, Claire's expression became unsure. "I was thinking of a leather wallet and belt for Zach and maybe Grey... boys that age do like that sort of thing, right?" When Owen let out a loud laugh, she glared at him. "What?"

Waving her off, Owen tried to get his laughter under control. "Trust me, Claire... you will have no issues there..."


	18. Chapter 18

Disclaimer: Jurassic World is owned by Universal Pictures

" _Hello?_ " -Phone or radio.

"{ _Alpha!_ }" -Dinosaur language.

* * *

Spearing some pasta, Claire looked up at Owen with an expression partially of amusement and partially of exaspiration. "I cannot believe that you chose Magaritaville for dinner..."

However, she did have to stop from laughing as both Owen and Blue stopped just a moment from biting into their burgers. The fact that their expressions where the same made the scene more hilarious. Owen however then shrugged. "It was my turn to choose, besides, Rexy's not minding it much."

A glance to her side showed Rexy happily eating a plate of Pterodactyl Wings before she rolled her eyes. "Really, who came up with these names? Calling chicken wings, Pterodactyl Wings, Raptor Squad Pulled Pork Sandwiches, Mesozoic Margaritas..."

With a smile, Owen swallowed his bite before he pointed at her. "You like their Triassic Shrimp Pasta though..."

That only caused Claire to sniff. "Only with the chicken added to it." After she took a bite, she shook her head. "I'm just glad that they renamed their Indominus Rex Burger the Rexy Burger."

Perking up, Rexy nodded with a grin. "Much better name."

Her eyes narrowed, Blue snorted. "Not better, Stern-One. Better name would be Blue Burger." Then she grinned a bit and took a bite out of her burger at the annoyed look on Rexy's face. "But happy that more things named after Swift-Hunters."

Licking some sauce off her finger, Rexy snorted. "Think that Crazy-One's head is too big for a little shit." Now it was Blue's turn to look annoyed only for Rexy to turn back to her meal. "Will say that humans good that making tasty food and drink though."

From where she sat, Blue only nodded, focused on her dinner. "Yes, is very good food. Lots of taste. Really enjoy eating human food lots." Taking another bite of her burger, Blue closed her eyes and hummed. Once she was done, she grabbed one of the onion rings. "Can't wait though for sisters to join. Will enjoy as well!"

The two only natural humans shared a look as they went back to eating with amused expressions. Not too long after, Rexy noticed a group around one of the tables set up. It took her a moment but she recognized the uniforms they wore as being the ACU and watched as two of them clasped hands and began to push one way or the other. "What's that they doing?"

Looking up, Owen glanced over as did Blue before the raptor trainer shrugged. "They're just arm wrestling."

Now curious, Rexy raised an eyebrow as she focused her golden eyes on him. "Arm wrestling?"

As he wiped his chin clean, Owen nodded before he grabbed a fry and gestured at the group. "Arm wrestling. You have two humans and they clasp hands before they try to force the other's hand down to the table-Blue! You little shit!"

Ignoring how Blue was now happily chewing the french fry she had grabbed from Owen, Rexy became thoughtful as she wiped her hands. "Hmm... interesting. Is a form of showing dominence then?"

While he snatched one of Blue's onion rings in retaliation for her taking his fry, with said raptor hissing at him, Owen nodded. "Yeah, it's sometimes used as such."

Then he froze as Rexy turned her stare onto him. "Teach me."

Several minutes later, Rexy walked over and smiled. "Mind if I give it a shot."

Sharing a look with one of his buddies, the ACU soldier who had been winning all night grinned. "Sure, if you feel like you can handle me, darlin'."

Part of him felt a brief moment of nervousness at the grin on Rexy's face as well as the gleam in her eyes. Then the moment was past and he buried it as she took a seat and thought hard about how to say her next words. "But can you handle me?"

Around them, several of the ACU members snickered and laughed before a female member in the back shouted. "KICK HIS ASS!"

Glancing in her direction, the ACU who Rexy had challenged reached out with a hand which she clasped. A moment later, he winced at how tight her hand was on his. "Nice grip there, darlin'. You have a name?"

Rexy just grinned as one of the other members put his hand on theirs. "Roxanne Regina, Claire is my cousin."

Surprised, the soldier looked toward where Claire sat and chuckled. "Hopefully Boss-Lady won't be too angry with me when I beat you." Then their contest started and he tried to bring it to a quick end only to raise an eyebrow as she met his strength with her own. "Well now, maybe this will be interesting."

From where they sat, Owen, Claire, and Blue watched as the two struggled back and forth for several minutes. Around the two competitors, the members of the ACU cheered for one or the other and passed around some bets. Finally though, Rexy slowly overpowered the soldier and brought his hand to rest on the top of the table as around her cheers broke out. With a grin, the soldier rubbed his hand. "Heh, not bad at all."

Feeling a tap, he looked up and nodded before he stood and let another ACU soldier take his place. That only made Rexy grin as they got into position. 'Good... more challengers for me...'

Up at their table, Claire only shook her head once she saw the grin. "Well... one of us should let Barry know we might be a bit..."

* * *

Getting out of her car the next day, Claire moved out of the way so that Jess and Blue could get out of the backseat as Rexy got out the opposite site. With a slight frown, she glanced at her watch and raised an eyebrow. "I wonder where Ami is..."

Just as she was about to take another look around, she heard brush being moved aside and noticed Ami come out from some bushes with a smile. "Hello Miss..." Seeing the raised eyebrow, she coughed a bit. "I mean, Claire..."

As she watched Ami walk up, Claire smiled a bit. "Ami, you wanted to see us out here..." She raised an eyebrow as she could see where Owen's bungalow was within sight, though distant, down the road. "Any particular reason why you wanted to meet us here?"

For a moment, the handler blinked and then her eyes widened as she took in the slightly tense stances. "Oh... oh wow, I guess I uh... kind of forgot how it might look." Raising her hands, she glanced at Blue. "I swear, I just wanted to talk about... you know."

Claire simply gave her a smile and then nodded. "Of course..." She then sniffed a bit and frowned. "... Why do I catch a whiff of sulfur?"

That caused Ami to blink in awe. "You can smell that?" At the nod, she shook her head in amazement. "Okay... that's impressive. Anyways... did you bring your bathing suits?"

Jabbing a grumbling Blue in the ribs, Jess grinned. "Yeah, they're under her clothes, now what's the big secret..." Suddenly, she frowned. "And whose looking after Sunset?"

With a grin, Ami turned to show Sunset's head poking out of her backpack with the ceratosaurus giving them a happy look. "{ _Pack-Leader Claire! Blue! Rexy!_ }"

There was a happy smile on Blue's face as she bounded up and rubbed the top of Sunset's head. "Hatchling!"

All Claire did was shake her head as she also watched Rexy walk up. 'Guess that babies are a thing for all females...'

Ignoring that, Jess walked up with a cooler and nodded. "So, where are we going then?"

Ami smiled and began to walk back to the brush, which the group could not see was a faint trail. "Just follow me." Sharing a look with the others, Claire did so followed by the others as Ami began to talk. "I found this place on a hike about three years back when I decided to go exploring the area since this is a safe zone. Anyways, long story short, I decided to take a break in the shade here when I found this..."

Now with a grin, she pushed aside the brush to show what at first looked like a stream that bubbled up a small hill before they noticed the small amount of steam that came from it. If that was not enough, nailed into a nearby tree was a sign stating it was "Kobayashi Hot Springs". Surprised, Jess gave a low whistle. "Okay... I've seen some of the hot springs on the island, but this is _nice_."

Tapping her chin in thought, Claire didn't notice the confused expressions on the two transformed dinosaurs' faces. "I've heard that some of the employees have found some hot springs which they used, but never actually saw one..." It was then that she noticed two devices on the ground near the hot spring. "Is that a gas detector?"

While she walked over to it, Ami nodded before she picked it up. "I _always_ check the gas levels when I'm getting close, just in case. Same with the temperature of the hot spring..." There was a frown on her face as she looked around. "Better safe then sorry with natural, out of the way ones like this one. You do _not_ want to walk into an invisible cloud of carbon monoxide with out knowing. Or to jump into a hot spring that had been safe, but is now superheated."

Confused, Rexy blinked and took another sniff of the air. "What is... hot spring?"

Jess turned toward her and smiled a bit as in the background, Claire was looking over a 'Pen' fashioned from bamboo and sticks to create a changing area. "It's where warm or hot water comes from underground. They're nice to soak in and talk, really relaxing."

Unsure, Rexy only nodded as her and Blue followed Claire's and Jess' lead as they took off their outer clothing to place on branches revealing their swimwear. Reaching the water's edge, Claire dipped a toe below the surface before she walked out until it was waist height. Then she leaned back and sighed in enjoyment as the water rose to her neck. "Ahh..."

Walking in, Jess nodded as she hummed. "Mmm. agreed."

Giggles escaped from Ami as she set down her backpack and took Sunset out. Once that was done she picked up the curious ceratosaur and walked into the water. Soon, she reached a spot where she had dug into the bank and set Sunset down with the ceratosaur closing her eyes as she laid there, the water reaching her chin. "{ _Feels nice!_ }"

Now curious themselves, Rexy and Blue walked in to join them only to blink before they also laid back. After a moment, the transformed T-Rex grunted. "Want one of these for my territory."

With a chuckle, Claire shook her head as she floated in place. "I'll see what I can do."

As this was going on, Ami had went back to the knapsack and taken out a toothbrush that she was using to softly scrub at Sunset's hide. Though the handler tried not to smile too much at the reaction. 'One has not heard or seen contentment until they have seen a ceratosaur purr...' Her attention was grabbed though as Claire's voice called over. "Hmm?"

Leaning against a rock, Claire softly smiled at her. "So then... you wanted to talk about our offer?"

Slowly, Ami nodded as she bit her lip. "I've been giving it a lot of thought and while I'm leaning toward it... I still got some questions about side effects..."

Unseen by the three normal humans as they talked, Blue narrowed her eyes before she poked Rexy in the side getting a grunt. "Hehe..." Doing it again, she smirked as Rexy turned a one eyed glare onto her. "What's matter, Stern-One...?"

Twice more she did it before Rexy let out a sigh. Suddenly, Rexy's hand lashed out and grabbed Blue's head. The other three women turned as they heard a splash only to see a sputtering Blue stand up and glare at Rexy who simply smirked. "Watch out, Crazy-One. Rocks a bit slippery."

All Claire did was shake her head at their antics as Jess tried not to laugh. Meanwhile both Ami and Sunset were utterly confused at what had just happened.

* * *

Several minutes later, Ami ran a hand through her wet hair as she sighed. "Okay... so in short, I'll be able to understand most dinosaurs on the island and, somehow, they'll be able to understand me. I'll also have the senses of one which includes smell and hearing?"

Leaning back a little, Claire sighed as she felt the heat from the water soak into her. "That is the gest of it. I will admit that it does take a bit of getting used to when one can smell another person's fear or other emotions. Or hearing some of the things that the various dinosaurs on the island will talk about." At Ami's curious expression, Claire smiled. "The Compys are... rather yappy and excitable. More like a bunch of kids on a sugar high. The Metriacanthrosaurs from the one time I was nearby aren't what one would say are great conversationalists. No idea about the Baryonyx or Suchiomimus."

Rexy grunted some as she watched Sunset who had slid off her little area and was now swimming through the water like a crocodile. "One named Lady Margaret is stuffy, has horn up her cloaca all the time."

That caused Jess to turn toward the transformed dinosaur with a raised eyebrow. "Wait, seriously?" When she got a nod and a grunt, Jess laughed a bit. "Oh man, I'll have to try and talk to her. Especially as we have a little bit of... history."

As she raised an eyebrow, Rexy snorted. "Will regret it, talks all fancy."

With a shake of her head as Jess laughed, Ami turned back toward Claire. "You, uh, also mentioned some physical changes as well? And behavioral ones?"

Frowning, Claire raised an eyebrow before she lifted one arm out of the water. "I sometimes went to the gym. Usually about once a month if I was busy. But after I transformed people might think that I go weekly if not more from my body. Not to mention my metabolism has also increased... don't really need to worry about diets." After a moment, the red head brushed some hair behind her ear. "Behaviorwise... I've begun craving more meat and I'm more in touch with my instincts as well. I'll admit... growling when I'm mad and such was a bit... off putting to say the least."

Her eyebrows furrowed, Ami thought back to the times when her boss had gotten angry. In particular, when she had found out about the Stegoceratops and Ankylodocus. "I can see that..." Then another thought occurred to her. "And probably affects other people."

Claire raised her eyebrow at that. "Really? How so?"

In reply, Ami shrugged for a moment. "It's not really noticable, but when you're angry about something people just get this... sense. Best that I can put it is being in the presence of a large, angry predator."

There was a teasing tone in Jess' voice as she snickered. "Well, well, well... that should be rather useful for someone in your position. Especially with what and whom you have to deal with."

A snort escaped from Claire as she smirked. "Perhaps."

Watching as Sunset swam up to her, Ami became thoughtful. "All of that does not sound too bad..." Gently reaching down, she picked up the small Ceratosaurus and held her in the water as she pushed back toward where she had dug a hole in the bank for Sunset to lie in. "I'm a bit iffy still on the whole being transformed for a week, but if it helps me understand Sunset and vice versa, then it's a small price to pay." Much to the other two humans amusement, a slight blush came over her face. "And I always have wondered what it would be like to be a carnosaur... They're like real life dragons."

Now much more relaxed, the group's conversation soon turned toward more normal conversation. Clearing her throat, Claire turned back to Ami. "I do have a question..." At the nod to continue, she did. "Would it be okay if I was to share the location of this spot with Owen and Blue's sisters?"

Blue perked up at that and grinned happily. "Sisters would love to swim in hot water! Is really nice!"

Confused, Ami shrugged a bit. "Um, I guess? But why would you even ask? After all, you're my boss and pretty much in charge of the entire island, so why ask...?"

With a small smile, Claire shook her head. "I much prefer to not step on my employees toes when possible..."

* * *

Walking onto the small dock not too far from the Ferry's own, Claire smiled at the old man beside the large boat that was tied there. "Captain Jack, and how are we today?"

With a smile, Jack only shook his head. "Same as just about every other day. Had people still making jokes about my name and I had to teach them that I'm not a drunk... And certainly don't enjoy rum that much."

All that Claire did was sigh. "I suppose that I'll be getting some reports later, then..." Seeing that he was looking at Rexy, Claire smiled and gestured at her. "This is my cousin, Roxanne Regina, she'll be around every so often."

Shaking Rexy's hand, the grizzled old man chuckled. "Name's Jack Adams, I'm the operator for the Ammonite Cruise here."

There was a smile on Claire's face as she examined the boat. "Speaking of, how is our newest attraction so far? Will it be ready in time do you think?"

Nodding, Jack's expression became serious. "Aye, we'll be ready for when the park reopens in a few months. Though I am glad that we have the time to shake some things out. Come on aboard and I'll show you." As they walked up the ramp, Jack continued talking. "Now, the Ammonite Cruise will be taking people on a sightseeing trip around the island. We'll be operating both day and night, though only until eleven. For propulsion, we use a azimuth thrusters which help with maneuverability."

The three walked on board as Jack waved to someone on the dock who began to untie the boat while someone on the bridge started up the engines. Impressed so far, Claire raised an eyebrow. "And the true part of the attraction?"

Smiling, the captain gestured to a stairwell. "If you both will follow me?" Once he reached it, he walked downwards. Much to Rexy's surprise, she found herself looking out into the ocean from under the surface through planes of glass. "The _Ammonite_ is the largest semi-submarine in the world at this time." Both females focused on Jack as he gestured around. "Where we are is about six feet under the surface, giving a great view of the surrounding waters. The windows themselves are three layered shatterproof glass to prevent accidents and curve under the seats so those there can look down and see the bottom."

While Rexy looked out the window, Claire nodded before she frowned. "What about safety? What precautions have you taken."

Knowing why she asked, Jack chuckled. "We got two entrances down here, one on the bow and one on the stern. That gives us two ways to get people out. Besides that, we have enough life jackets for the full amount of people we can take as well as life rafts."

Claire continued to grill the captain until Rexy pointed out the window with a curious expression. "What are they doing?"

Her eyebrow raised, Claire walked over to see divers on the seabed seemingly planting things. Behind her, Jack nodded. "That would be the sea grass meadow being planted."

Confused, Rexy frowned as she looked at him. "Meadow? But it's underwater..."

There was a pleased expression on the captain's face as he nodded. "You're right, but we call them meadows for simplicity's sake. Before InGen, this area of the island had a truly massive meadow, rich in biodiversity. But during the building of the original park, they used a lot of fertilizer and that got washed down here. The resulting algae blooms killed off the sea grass. We're trying to reverse that by replanting native sea grasses here as well as elsewhere and are meeting with some success."

As she smiled, Claire continued the explanation. "Part of the agreement with Costa Rica that Masrani has is to promote and protect the local ecosystem. That includes restoring portions of it that were damaged during the first incident back in 1993... Such as the small scale bombing of certain areas." She then gestured outside. For example, near a river mouth nearby, we're replanting a mangrove forest that had been torn up. They used the wood for much of the original worker's village and various other portions of the park. After all, back then mangroves were looked at as being useless, swampy, mosquito infested wastelands. Though we know know they're highly useful for habitats."

Jack just smiled a bit. "I was a marine biologist you know, it's done my old heart some good to be working on restoring the ecosystem around the island. I still remember helping emplace concrete blocks just five years ago to create areas for corals to start to grow on..." After a moment, he turned back to Claire. "Speaking of mangroves, are you still doing the boardwalk there?"

Nodding, Claire watched as they pulled away from the divers. "We are as a matter of fact. The boardwalk will let people walk through the mangrove forests while also keeping dry even during high tide." After a moment, Claire clasped her hands behind her back. "The ocean side of the forest will be one of those areas visited on the tour, will it not?"

With a shake of his head, Jack snorted a bit. "Only during high tide. Don't want to chance getting grounded. But we have lots to see anyways. There's the sea grass meadows with all the sea life there. We'll also visit the reefs as well before we go into deeper water where we'll chum the waters to attract some shark for people to watch." Seeing the look, he shook his head. "Perfectly safe for anyone down here. Then, of course, there's the shipwrecks."

Interest piqued, Claire looked at him. "So you heard then?" At his nod, Claire turned toward Rexy. "We've bought a few old decommissioned small patrol ships and boats which will be sunk off the island to form artificial reefs. Though the wreck will be a narco sub that the Costa Rican government captured. Originally, they were just going to wreck it, but we convinced them to let us scuttle it here."

Not quite sure what Claire meant, Rexy only nodded. And as the conversation turned to other things, Rexy turned to gaze back out into the water. 'Humans are such clever things to think of way of being underwater yet not wet."

* * *

Walking into the control room, Claire frowned a bit. "What's the situation people?"

Vivian looked up from her terminal. "We have Doctor Anna McDonald for you from the Volcanic Observatory at the North Docks."

As she nodded and raised an eyebrow, Claire frowned a bit. "Very well, bring her up." Seconds later, the doctor's face came up onto the screen and Claire noted she looked rather excited. "Doctor, I heard that you have some news?"

There was a grin on the doctor's face as she shook her head. "This is rather exciting, but the eruption has begun to shift into a new phase."

For a moment, Claire felt a bit of panic before she shoved it down, her face showing none of her internal struggle as she leaned forward and gripped the bar that separated the upper and lower areas of the control room. "A new phase? Is the park in any danger, doctor."

Confused, the doctor furrowed her eyebrows a bit before she realized how what she had said could sound like. "Oh, no, the park's not in danger, Miss Dearing. Not at all in fact." Taking a breath, the older woman continued. "About three hours ago we detected a change in the behavior of one of the vents. This, of course, caused us to direct our full attention onto it seeing as it was one of the oldest as well. Over the next few hours we noticed that the amount of ash being shot into the air slowly decrease and the pulses of explosions slowing."

Now raising an eyebrow, Claire frowned a bit. "That's a good thing though, correct? It means that the eruption is slowing."

However, Dr. McDonald shook her head. "It could be either good or bad. It could mean that the eruption was slowly dying off or it could have meant that there was a blockage somewhere in the throat of the volcano and pressure was building. Then, fifteen minutes ago our helicopter spotted this..."

Beside her screen another one opened and Claire watched as it showed the island, several columns of ash and steam obscuring it. Then an area of the haze stopped and revealed a red glow. It took her a moment to realize what she was seeing and her eyes widened. "Is that _lava?_ " For a few seconds, she watched before she turned back to the doctor who seemed to be watching the same video from a side screen. "It looks like water shooting up from a hose."

The doctor nodded with a smile. "And apt description for a lava fountain if I've heard one." She then turned toward the screen beside her. "The molten magma is under an _immense_ amount of pressure. We're still not quite sure how much is in the chamber, but at last guess there's about 20 cubic kilometers of eruptable magma. All of that is trying to reach the surface through the five vents as quickly as possible. That, along with the gasses trapped, are causing a lava fountain of about seventy-five meters to form now that seawater is unable to reach the crater."

Even as Rexy, who was behind her, leaned in to better see the screen, Claire considered this. "And what exactly does this mean for us?"

With a thoughtful expression, the doctor shook her head. "It means that as the vents become unable to get seawater into them that they'll switch from explosive to effusive eruptions. Also, the cones themselves will become more permanent... see those glowing streaks across the cone?" Claire nodded. "Those are what are called rootless lava flows, they're caused by splatter from the fountain. As time goes on, they're create a hardened shell on the cone itself. However, that means we could see a lava flow reach out from this vent within hours and form a cap of erosion resistant rock on top of the ash. Once that happens, we can be sure that the island will become rather permanent, needing centuries to erode away rather then years or decades."

Rather interested, Claire hummed a bit. "And do we know how long until the eruption will end?"

Once more though, Doctor McDonald shook her head. "As I've told you, that much is unknown at this moment as we need data. Sometimes, the eruptions will end within weeks, other times such as Surtsey within a few years. But then you have ones such as Puʻu ʻŌʻō then you could see an eruption lasting for decades." A map then appeared on the screen beside her. "We can say with general certainty though that if the lava flows manage to grow the island to 2 kilometers in this direction..." On the screen, an area lit up in red. "Then it'll meet the North Bank and rapidly expand across it. The magma seems to be gas rich, but highly fluid and hot. And the water depth on the bank is about five meters only, so it stands we could see the island get much bigger, very rapidly..."

* * *

Owen and Blue were walking along the beach on the east coast of the island together. For his part, Owen was highly amused as Blue kept asking question after question of their surroundings. It was then that Blue caught sight of something and grinned. "Is hatchling!"

Sure enough, when Owen looked there was Ami walking across the beach with Sunset in tow, the little ceratosaurus sniffing at piles of beach debris. Before Owen could even say anything, Blue was already running across the sand at speeds most Olympic runners would be proud of. Chuckling, Owen joined her though what he didn't realize was that his own speed was close to hers so it didn't take them too long to reach the surprised Ami. Slowing down, he grinned as Blue bent down toward Sunset. "Hey there, Ami. Surprised to see you out here today."

With a blink, Ami glanced at Sunset who laid down at the end of her leash as she made noises toward Blue. "Well, it is a rather nice day out, so I decided to let Sunset explore the island a bit." There was a bit of sadness on her face. "After all, once they have her paddock built, she'll be in there."

As she snorted, Blue looked up at her as she used some words she had overheard from Owen. "Like fucking shitty cloaca she will. We use metal scale and she can walk around as if human!"

That caused Sunset to perk up. "{ _Be like Caretaker-Ami? Is nice?_ }"

Looking down at her, Blue nodded seriously. "Is very nice actually. Can go _everywhere_ I wish." Both paused and turned their heads toward a bunch of seaweed which Blue reached out for. With a glance toward Sunset, Blue ripped it off the same to reveal a crab there which the transformed raptor blinked at. "Is very wierd bug thing."

Chuckling, Owen shook his head. "That's a crab, Blue. They live in the ocean." A moment later, Owen burst out laughing as Blue yelped after poking it. "They also like pinching things."

Blue only growled as she held her finger. "Fucking shitty egg sucking pissy bug crab!"

Her head tilted to the side, Sunset blinked up at Blue and then walked over to the crab and looked at it as it scrabbled to get up. Then in a blur of movement, she snatched it up in her jaws and crushed it. "{ _Mmm, is tasty! Like it much!_ }"

Narrowing her eyes, Blue wagged a finger at the hatchling as behind her, Ami grimaced a bit. "Is being very cheeky hatchling." When Sunset walked up closer to Blue and continued to eat the crab with contentment, Blue's eyes narrowed still further. "Very cheeky."

A frown was on Ami's face as she observed the two. 'Now I'm really curious about what is being said by Sunset...'

Meanwhile, Owen crossed his arms as he shook his head. "Compared to you as a hatchling, Blue, she's not that cheeky."

Looking over her shoulder, Blue chirped back. "Wasn't cheeky, daddy!" Suddenly, she pointed down the beach. "What's that?"

With a sigh, Owen looked up and suddenly smiled a bit at the sight of various people carrying buckets toward the surf. "You'll want to see this, Blue." He began to walk toward the group with Blue behind her. Ami also followed behind with Sunset trotting beside her. "Hey! Eric!"

The man at the head of the group waved toward Owen with a smile. "Hey there, Raptor Guy." Then he looked toward Blue and raised an eyebrow. "And whose this?"

Before Owen could comment, Blue jerked her thumb at him. "I'm Blair Grady, he's my daddy."

Seeing the looks directed toward him, Owen chuckled as internally he swore at Blue and began to plan revenge. "Yeah... she's from my younger years."

Curious, Blue walked up toward the buckets as she tried her best to think each word before saying it so she would sound more normal. "So what are you doing?"

As he smiled, Eric held up a bucket. "We're doing a sea turtle hatchling release."

Those words caused Blue's head to shoot up, her attention fully on him. "Hatchlings? Release?"

While he nodded, he set down the bucket so that Blue could see inside, the whole time keeping an eye on the nearby Sunset who watched. "Nublar is a nesting site for green sea turtles and they come ashore at night to lay their eggs. So during mating season we patrol the beaches at night to find nesting turtles and retrieve the eggs so we can hatch them in safety. Once they do hatch, we transport them down to the beach to release them into the water."

Awed, Blue looked at the small turtles trying to climb up the sides of the buckets. "They're very small."

Nodding, Eric glanced up at Owen who gave a nod. "Want to hold one?" Seeing the stunned look, he gently placed one of the turtles in her hand and Blue stared down at it. "Go on then, take it to the surf so it can go home to the sea."

Gently, Blue stood up and carried it to the waves and set it down. Moments later, it swam off and soon disappeared from sight and she turned with a grin. "See that, daddy? It was amazing!"

Chuckling, Owen shook his head a bit and slowly lead her back as the various park employees began to tip over the buckets so that the turtles could scramble toward the waiting waves. Several ones were watching the skies for sea birds. However, they couldn't be everywhere and Blue's eyes widened as she pointed down the beach some. "SUNSET! PROTECT THEM!"

Everyone there turned to see that one of the hatchling turtles had washed up and was trying to get back to the water as a gull landed close to it. Before the bird could grab it's meal though, Sunset tackled it to the ground in a burst of feathers and squwaks. Pining down the seagull, Sunset let out a small roar. "{ _To the water hatchling! I shall protect you!_ }"

As Blue cheered, Owen just facepalmed and shook his head to hide his grin. Unnoticed though, one of the cameramen caught the whole thing on tape.


	19. Chapter 19

Disclaimer: Jurassic World is owned by Universal Pictures

" _Hello?_ " -Phone or radio.

"{ _Alpha!_ }" -Dinosaur language.

* * *

As per usual, one of Claire's stops for the day was in the veternary office where she raised an eyebrow at the sight of Jess quietly talking with a man in his twenties by some tanks. "Hello, Jess."

Jerking a bit from surprise, Jess looked over and gave Claire a smile. "Checking in on us, huh?" After she glanced at her watch, she nodded. "And at exactly five-thirty."

There was a slight smile on Claire's face as Rexy kept a wary eye out for Gerry. "I rather like schduling things as you know." She then held out a hand to the young man. "And you are?"

Scrambling a bit, the man reaches out and shakes her hand. "Uh, my name is Douglas Gutierrez. I'm a Paleobiologist specializing in non-dinosaurian prehistoric life."

Claire furrowed her eyebrows as she thought over the name and then frowned. "Gutierrez... you wouldn't happen to be related to a Doctor Marty Gutierrez, the Costa Rican biologist, would you?"

With a slight bit of distaste, the man nodded. "My father actually..."

Having caught some of the undertones, Claire simply nodded as she looked him over a bit. "I take it that you're the expert that the Hammond Foundation is lending us from the Sorna expedition? We did ask for one to come and examine some of the creatures from the area around Sorkin's old lab."

A smile bloomed on Douglas' face as he nodded. "Most of those on the expedition were there specifically for the dinosaurs. Myself? I wanted to examine some of the other forms of life that InGen had created and were released onto the island during the disaster."

Raising an eyebrow, Claire glanced at her tablet as she pulled up some files on the man in front of her. "Other forms of life? Such as the plants?"

While he shook his head, he reached over and grabbed a mug of coffee on the table. "There's a paleobotenist on the team for that, one of Doctor Degler's students. I study the animal side projects that some of the geneticists created on Sorna." Seeing her eyebrow raised, he waved a hand around as Jess watched him amused. "While the facilities were mostly geared toward creating dinosaurs, some of the geneticists did a number of side projects. Mostly recreating prehistoric lizards and amphibians. Officially, they were mainly to 'Sharpen' techniques. Unofficially, a number of the personnel on the island kept them as pets."

Slowly, Claire nodded as she remembered reading about that in the old files. "And when Hurrican Clarissa went through, they escaped into the wild..."

Douglas nodded as he smiled. "Exactly. There's a number of species on Sorna and some of the neighbouring islands. So when they asked for someone to come, I... rather leapt at the opportunity to do so."

Unseen by him, Jess mouthed toward Claire that he wanted away from his father's shadow. However, when he turned to look at her, Jess was only sipping her own coffee from where she leaned against the table. With a soft smile, Claire only nodded. "Well, I for one, am happy to have you here to help us."

As he shook his head, Douglas laughed slightly. "Are you kidding me? Being asked to come to Nublar is amazing. And already I got a number of things to write up about... though I'm guessing that you want to know what I've found?"

There was a serious expression on Claire's face as she nodded. "That would be rather helpful..."

Walking over to what looked like a large tank, Douglas reached in and pulled out a rather large turtle. "Let's start with this beauty, shall we?" Not having noticed the raised eyebrow on Claire's face or Jess' amused expression, he continued. "We found her in the swampy area and identified her species, not really that hard seeing as we recovered some notes of Sorkin's from the field lab. She thought she had Kayentachelys here. What she did have, though it was not discovered from fossils for a time, was in fact Eileanchelys, a pond turtle from Jurassic period in Europe."

Rexy closely examined it as Claire walked around the table it had been placed on, even as the turtle tried to crawl away. "I've seen pond turtles as a young girl, that's rather big for a pond turtle."

From where she stood, Jess shook her head. "Actually, this gal here from what Douglas told me and I looked up, is rather small for her species at a foot in length. Fossils of them were up to two feet in shell length alone." Seeing the look on Claire's face, she smiled. "Thankfully, they're herbivourus. Unless you're a head of lettuce, you don't have much to fear."

Getting down into a crouch to look it in the eyes, Claire only frowned a bit in thought. "Hmm... perhaps if we find a few more, we can out them in the Cretaceous Cruise..."

A slight hum escaped from Jess as she nodded. "This would make the second de-extinctioned turtle species on the island..." Having seen the interested look on Douglas' face, she shrugged. "A genetictist here on the island recreated some Niolamia which will be going into the Small World attraction."

If anything, that only increased the paleobiologist's interest. "Niolamia you say? Would it be possible if I was to have a look...?"

However, a throat clearing from Claire brought his attention back on her. "Any other surprises?"

With a smile, he gestured at another tank. "Well, this is the only other thing we've identified as being prehistoric so far... I suspect we won't get any other large species though. Sorkin didn't have that much time to spend on them after all." Looking into the tank, Claire could see a rather odd looking lizard that had what looked like loose skin on it's sides. "We've identified it as being a Kuehneosuchus, a lizard-like reptile from the Triassic in England. Those flaps of skin are attached to it's ribs and it uses them to glide from tree to tree."

Still watching it, Claire glanced at him. "How soon do you believe they'll spread throughout the rest of the island?"

For several moments he was silent before he shook his head. "With the storms blowing some of them and the flooding? I would not be too surprised if there were a few already elsewhere on the island. In this case, the cat is truly out of the bag..."

* * *

Walking into the lab, Owen made his way over to where Claire was watching an egg in one of the incubators. Glancing around, he smiled a bit. "You know, a certain queen told me you were here." As he smiled, he wrapped his arms around her waist and looked at the egg. "So, what have our resident mad scientists cooked up now?"

There was a slight upturn of her lips as she looked down at the egg. "This... is going to be the star of our Small World attraction."

Owen only raised an eyebrow as he kissed her neck then focused back on the egg. "Oh? How so?"

Softly growling at his teasing, Claire soon shook it off. "The egg is for the Dilong paradoxus, an early and small Tyrannosaur... she'll be the Empress of the Small World." A glance showed her a woman moving through the lab in a wheelchair. "It'll be rather odd having a feathered dinosaur in the park though..."

Having noticed where she was looking, Owen snorted. "So this is Patricia's work, huh?"

As she nodded, Claire let out a soft sigh. "We're very lucky that Hoskins' men didn't grab Doctor Cheung with the rest of Wu's team. Apparently her work in reducing the amount of amphibian DNA was not important enough to grab... Even though the Indominus was based off it."

That caused Owen to still. "... Say what now?"

With a slight smile, Claire shook her head. "It's not what you're thinking, Owen."

However, Owen only raised an eyebrow. "Oh? And what exactly am I supposed to think when you say that her work was used to create the Indominus."

Claire sighed a bit as she intertwined her fingers with his. "Her particular project was based on Sorkin's own work, except she aimed to reduce the amount of amphibian DNA while keeping the price low. Sorkin wanted to create pure strain dinosaurs with the DNA of a single species. Doctor Cheung's small team instead went with the idea to take the genetic code of a dinosaur and patch some of the holes in it using closely related species. The way they put it was imagine using DNA from big cats to fill holes in sabertooth tiger DNA. They are closely related species and thus share much of the same genetic code."

After a moment's thought, Owen slowly nodded. "I can see how that might work now and how it's different from the Indominus... Okay, now I'm curious about how they made this one."

Part of Claire was glad that he didn't start yelling so she continued. "The Dilong is apparently in the same family as the Proceratosaurus that the original park was going to have. So they used DNA that was missing from Dilong but in the Proceratosaurus genome to patch some of the holes. They had considered using some T-Rex DNA, but decided not too as the distance evolution-wise was too much."

His chin on her shoulder, Owen nodded some as they continued to watch the egg. "So you believe it to be safe then..."

There was a few seconds of silence but Claire smirked. "I'm bringing in someone to socialize it just the same and we have a few months before the attraction is ready for it. This way we'll know ahead of time and if there is something wrong, we'll put it down and work on some other method as well as with the Microraptors..."

She then went quiet and Owen looked up at her. "Something wrong?"

With a smile, she placed her fingertips against the incubator glass. "I just hope that nothing goes wrong. It's... It's strange, did you know that Zara loved small animals?"

Raising an eyebrow, Owen straightened some and tightened his hold. "Huh, no I didn't know that."

Slowly nodding, Claire sighed some. "She did actually. In fact, she told me she wished there were more small animals that people could get up close to. Large animals were all fine and dandy in her mind, but she thought the small ones also had their place... I think that she would have loved to see the Small World attraction..."

* * *

It was the next day that Claire yawned as she entered the kitchen and ran her hand through her still messed up hair. Standing in front of the coffee maker as it began to brew, the sound of a laptop caused her to blink. 'What?' Still confused, she turned and blinked as she saw Rexy there watching something on the laptop screen. "Rexy?"

For a moment, the currently human Rexy glanced over at her and nodded. "Claire.

Then she returned her attention to the laptop as Claire's sleep adled mind tried to come up with a response. "... I thought that you were back in the jungle now that the amulet has worn off and you can transform back..."

Sipping some tea, Rexy shrugged her shoulders a bit. "Was bored... besides, like it here with you and others. Aren't lonely anymore."

Her heart clinching, Claire nodded as she walked up behind Rexy. "I see... so then, what are you watching?"

There was an confused expression on Rexy's face as she pointed at the screen. "Is Old Smile's, Hammond's, Hatchling's hatchling... the male." Raising an eyebrow, Claire looked to see that it was a news report showing Tim standing among a group of cages with colorful birds, a swamp in the background. "See?"

Quickly reading through the article below the video, Claire slowly nodded as her mind slowly began to run better. "Seems that Tim's going through a PR campaign to improve InGen's image... not too surprising actually."

Confused, Rexy turned a bit in her seat. "What do you mean?"

Hearing the coffee machine go off, Claire made her way over to it and began to make her cup of morning coffee. "InGen's image was as hurt by the Indominus as Masrani's and Jurassic World's." Once her cup was done, she walked back over in time to watch as Tim released the birds from the cages. "He's very much his grandfather's grandson in showmanship. If there is one thing he's learned it's how to attract attention in a positive manner. Something that's helped him in managing the Hammond Foundation and the Lazarus Project, which is what the news report is talking about."

Rexy tilted her head to the side as she tested out the word. "Lazarus Project... what is that?"

As she took a drink of her coffee, Claire considered how to explain. "Tim's always partially owned InGen to an extent thanks to his grandfather's will. When Masrani bought them out, he convinced Masrani to let him run a not for profit out of InGen he called the Lazarus Project. At first, they worked with critically endangered species by collecting genetic samples for them from both living and preserved specimens. He then used InGen's cloning technology to slowly bring them back from the brink of extinction while helping boost genetic diversity. It didn't cost InGen and Masrani much as Tim attracted both private and public investors. It was also good PR. Recently they've started bringing back recently extinct species."

That caught Rexy's interest. "Like me?"

Smiling slightly, Claire shook her head. "A bit more recently then that actually..." Placing her cup down, she leaned in to watch. "His first success was with the Quagga a few years back. Since then the Lazarus Project also brought back the Passenger Pigeon, the Thylacine, and Caucasian Wisent." Claire gestured with her head. "It appears that we can add the Carolina Parakeet to that list if that is correct." After a moment, Claire nodded. "I'm not surprised that he's bringing attention to it. InGen needs all the positive press it can get."

On the screen, one of the reporters asked Tim what was next to which he smiled. " _Project Lazarus is currently working with the government of New Zealand and we will be releasing the first flock of Moas within the year into one of the preserves there._ "

Another one of the reports raised a hand as she stood, her next words causing Claire's cup to pause partway to her mouth. " _Speaking of reviving extinct animals, is there any truth to the rumours of InGen and Masrani building another park in Canada?_ "

If Tim was caught offguard, he didn't show it as he waved off the question. " _I would direct all questions regarding any possible future plans of Masrani's and InGen's to our PR departments. Now, I am glad to take any more questions regarding Project Lazarus..._ "

Her eyes wide, Claire stared at the screen. 'Another park...?'

* * *

Sleeping, Ami as partially woken by something nudging her nose. When it wouldn't stop, she grumbled a bit because she was just so _tired_ due to not sleeping well over the past few days. Especially the previous night because she was nervous about something she forgot in her half-awake state. Suddenly whatever was nudging her stopped and huffed. "{ _Caretaker-Ami, wake up!_ }" The fact that the voice spoke in growls and barks, yet was completely understandable seeped into Ami's mind before her eyes shot open. In front of her nudging a snout that was not there the night before was Sunset. After a moment, the little Ceratosaurus realized that Ami was awake as she gave a squeak. "{ _Caretaker-Ami's is up now!_ }"

The next thing that happened was Sunset giving a squeal as she was knocked back some when Ami raised her head. Her yes wide, Ami looked her over best that she could. "Sunset! Are you alright?!"

After a few seconds, Sunset got back to her feet and nodded with her one eye closed in happiness. "{ _Yup! Me alright!_ }" Her expression of happiness became one of awe as she looked her transformed handler over. "{ _Caretaker-Ami is_ _ **big**_ _Horned-Hunter!_ }"

With a blink, Ami stared at her as it finally sunk in that she was able to understand Sunset. Then with a slowness, she looked back over herself with shock. First she clinched her claws and talons. After that she swished her now large tail around. "Uso... I'm actually a dinosaur..."

Suddenly a voice spoke up which caused Ami to jolt out of her thoughts. "And a rather big specimen for your species."

Her head turning back, Ami blinked as she noticed Jess sitting in a chair and placing something into a container from which fog drifted. Sealing it, the vet had begun writing something on a clipboard by which point Ami finally found her voice. "Jess? What are you still doing here?"

Jess raised an eyebrow and gave Ami the impression that she had said something royally stupid. Strangely, the handler was reminded of Jess' father in that moment. "First rule of Owen's, someone stays with the person transforming for the first time the whole period. Also, I'm a vet, but also a scientist and I've been gathering data the whole time."

It was then that Ami realized what the container was and what had been put into it. "Have you been taking blood samples from me all night?!"

There was a smirk on Jess' face as she raised a finger. "And biopsy samples as well. Just like we agreed on, remember?"

Grumbling, Ami turned her head away. "I didn't think that you meant while I was asleep and transforming..."

All Jess did was shrug. "Look, this whole thing is out there and both myself and dad are fascinated by this. We need to establish some baselines for this in regards to the changes and neither of us were there for Owen or Claire. Not to mention Blue and Rexy." Suddenly, she flushed a bit. "If it helps, I did nothing too invasive and compared to me you're getting off easy."

Having attempted to raise an eyebrow only for nothing to happen, Ami sighed. "And what do you mean by that?"

There was an annoyed look on Jess' face. "Dad's rather annoyed at me for deciding to go through it. So I'm spending the night hooked up to ultrasound scanners and various sensors. It's going to be so much fun. And that's not counting all the other tests..."

Wanting to cut off what was rapidly becoming an awkward subject, Ami turned toward Sunset who was walking around her. "So... You said that I'm a big Ceratosaurus?"

Extremely thankful for the subject change, Jess stood up and walked over. "Yeah... You're about thirty-one feet in length and over two tons going by how heavy your head is. I'll need to get you on an actual scale to be sure, but... That puts you close to the largest Ceratosaurus in the fossil record. I'm willing to bet that you're close to what Sunset will look when she's an adult."

Perking up, Sunset looked up at Jess. "{ _I look like Caretaker-Ami when I grow big?_ }"

Amused, Ami glanced at her. "I guess..." Then her attention was back on Jess. "So... How do I look then?"

Now it was Jess' turn to be amused. "Well... I could show you a picture of you laying down. Or... you could stand up and I'll take a picture."

It took several times, now helped by Sunset doing her best to hop around and shout advice, but finally Ami managed to stand. Looking herself over, the transformed human hummed in thought as she continued to test out bits of her body. "You know... I'm rather surprised at how easy this all is. I would have thought that I would have a lot more trouble not falling over."

Busy taking pictures with a digital camera, Jess grunted. "Our best guess is that somehow the magic of the amulet gives the person the instinctual knowledge of how to use the body. Useful really as I can't imagine it would be easy to adapt to a much different body." Pulling away the camera from her eyes, Jess walked back over. "Well, here we go."

Once the camera's screen was brought close to her eye, Ami blinked. "Wait, I have horns over my eyes? I thought that InGen Ceratosaurs didn't have those?"

Frowning, Jess thought it over before she crouched and rubbed one finger along Sunset's eyebrows. "Hmm... You're right that the first generation of Ceratosaurs created by InGen didn't have the eyebrow horns, probably due to the amphibian DNA used. But it wouldn't be the first time that a previously missing trait showed up past the second wild generation on Sorna after all. Sunset is probably third generation if not fourth and seems to be developing them, though I doubt that they'll be the size of those from the fossil record."

Just as Ami was about to comment, a low growl emanated from inside her torso. This, Jess was treated to the odd sight of a Ceratosaurus being sheepish. "Sorry, I'm just a bit, um, hungry..."

While she shook her head and laughed a bit, Jess smiled and patted the massive carnivore. "Well, good thing that Rexy dropped off something for you before she headed for Owen's and Claire's place."

Curious, Ami followed Jess out of the rundown barn-like building from the original park, one of a few outside the Restricted Zone not torn down. Outside, she blinked at the sight of what looked like one of the Dryosaurs that had been reported. Tilting her head, she looked toward Jess. "What? No salt or steak sauce?"

Highly bemused, Jess shook her head as she watched Sunset walk over to the dead dinosaur. "Sorry, we forgot about that."

Even though part of her was disgusted at the idea of eating raw meat, Ami was unable to deny that the smell awoke something within her. Thus, she walked over to the carcass and after a moment's hesitation, took a large chunk. Several seconds passed after she chewed and swallowed, her eyes closed. Then she opened her eyes and licked the side of her mouth before nodding. "Not as bad as I was expecting actually..."

Beside her, Sunset grabbed a strip of meat that was hanging and tried to pull it off. However, it slipped out of her mouth and the little Ceratosaur fell over. "{ _Oof!_ }" Getting up, she growled at it. "{ _Stupid meat!_ }"

Swallowing a chunk of meat, Ami blinked as she realized that Sunset was having trouble. Gently, she reached down to what Sunset had tried to grab and took it in her jaws. Then with a wet tearing sound, she ripped it off before she set it down in front of Sunset. "Here you go."

There was an awed look on Sunset's face before she nuzzled her handler. "{ _Thank you, Caretaker-Ami!_ }" With happy sounds, Sunset began to tear off smaller bits from the chunk of meat. As she did so, she continued to think. 'Caretaker-Ami is so nice, give me big meat! Like mommy.' Suddenly, midway through a bite, the young dinosaur paused. 'Wait... like mommy. Caretaker-Ami takes care of me, brings me food, makes sure that I'm clean. Is really nice too and Pokey-Jess says that I'll look like Caretaker-Ami? Was told that hatchlings look like mommys and daddys... so does that mean that Caretaker-Ami is my new mommy...?'

Unknowing of the thoughts that were going through her charge's mind, Ami swallowed another chunk of meat. 'This really isn't too bad... wonder what it would taste like cooked though...'

Meanwhile, Jess continued to take notes and to sort out what she had already written.

* * *

After having finished as much of the Dryosaurus as she could, Ami yawned as the morning slowly got hotter. "Mmm..." It was than that a sound caught her attention and looking down, she spotted Sunset dragging a bone toward her. "And what are you doing now?"

Looking up, Sunset dropped the bone close to Ami and wagged her tail a bit. "{ _Need to chew bones, Caretaker-Ami! Make teeth all better._ }"

With a chuckle, Ami shook her head a bit and waggled her claws. "I suppose that with these short things that it would be rather hard to brush my teeth." Taking the bone gently from Sunset, she slowly gnawed at the bone in her mouth like she had seen dogs do. 'Huh... doesn't feel as wierd as I thought it would...' Meanwhile, Sunset walked back to the carcass and grabbed one of the fingers and pulled. After a moment, it separated from the rest. Several moments later, Ami blinked as she felt something on her leg and looked over her shoulder to see Sunset attempting to climb her leg. "And what are you doing?"

Grunting, Sunset finally managed to get onto her back and set down the Dryosaur finger. "{ _Me climbing onto your back._ }"

If she could have, Ami would have raised an eyebrow in amusement. "And why are you climbing onto my back?"

Having picked the finger back up, Sunset walked across Ami's broad back. The talons on the small Ceratosaurus gripped the osteoderms that lined Ami's back, and provided her with armor, until she was behind Ami's neck. Setting down the finger, Sunset closed her one eye in happiness as she chirped. "{ _Because is very nice on Caretaker-Ami's back! And safe._ }"

Once she said that, Sunset turned her attention back to chewing the finger bone as Ami laughed a bit. Shaking her head, the transformed human turned back in time to see a grumbling Jess put several items including the sample container into the back of one of Jurassic World's dune buggies. "Truck not fixed yet?"

As she grunted, Jess secured the container. "Nope, they're not even sure if they can fix it with the amount of damage it took from the Titanoboa. Damn thing did some damage when it tried to crush it let alone when I collided with it's head."

Wincing, Ami frowned the best that she could. "I really got to thank you again, if it wasn't for you doing that then neither Sunset or me would be here today."

In reply, Jess raised an eyebrow at her. "No need to thank me. After all, there is no way in hell that I would let anyone get killed, especially by a prehistoric creature, if I had a chance to stop it..." Her eyes gained a distant look to them. "I promised myself that a long time ago."

Puzzled, Ami watched as Jess shook off whatever memories she had been thinking of. "Um, right... anyways, just the same though, thanks."

Sunset then piped in from where she was laying. "{ _Thank you, Pokey-Jess!_ }"

Just barely keeping from laughing, Ami rumbled a bit. "Er, Sunset says thank you as well."

Raising an eyebrow, Jess narrowed her eyes. "There was more to it then that, wasn't there?"

There was a sheepish smile on Ami's face as she showed her fangs. "Apparently Sunset's nickname for you is 'Pokey-Jess'."

For several moments, Jess was silent before she slowly hung her head and facepalmed. "That's just a great nickname... why do me and dad get the nicknames like that?" Spotting the look on Ami's face, Jess' tone became dry. "As you'll find out soon enough, my dad is apparently known as 'Prick-One' among at least the carnivores."

It was just another sign of how odd things had become that Jess' expression only soured slightly at how Ami began to laugh at that.

* * *

Claire was so busy at the computer on her desk that she didn't hear the door to her office open. However, when the smell of food hit her, she did look up in time to see Owen set down a takeout container on her desk. "Here, someone told me that you hadn't come out of your office for lunch."

Opening it, the red haired woman felt her empty stomach grumble as she smiled. "Thai steak salad... Owen, you are a lifesaver."

All Owen did was shrug as he sat down in a chair in front of her desk and opened his own lunch. "So, what possible reason is there that you didn't head out for lunch? Or get something delivered?"

It took a moment, but Claire swallowed the bite of her meal and wiped her lips on one of the knapkins. "You know how I left early this morning, right?"

Slowly nodding, Owen narrowed his eyes in thought as he remembered coming downstairs in time to see her heading out the door as Rexy watched in confusion. "Yeah... Rexy said that you seemed angry about something you heard on the news or something, why?"

Her next words caused him to choke a little on what he was swallowing. "One of the reporters mentioned a new park, and when I contacted Simon and Tim they confirmed it."

Beating his chest, Owen gratefully took the drink his girlfriend offered and swallowed it before he gasped. "Are they fucking insane!? A second park?!"

As she rubbed the side of her head, Claire leaned back. "Apparently they're building it on a archipelago in the Gulf of St. Lawrence in Canada. Instead of dinosaurs though, they're going to have extinct animals from the Ice Ages there. According to them, it should be even safer then Jurassic World as we know how to deal with such creatures having lived beside them during the Ice Age."

Pinching his nose, the Raptor Trainer sighed a bit. "Great... that's just lovely." After a moment, he looked up. "Still, after what happened I'm surprised that they're even building!" Seeing the look on Claire's face, Owen felt like growling. "Don't tell me..."

While she looked out her window, Claire frowned. "They've been building the park there for the past two years with an opening date of 2017 latest. I wish that I could be surprised, but with how InGen was already planning a 'Jurassic Park: Europe' before the first park even opened..."

Unknown to Claire, Owen had another reason to worry. After all, his sister was one of the foremost experts on wolves and the last he heard she was working on some project in Canada she couldn't talk about. Shaking it off, he decided to contact her later. "Right... so that's why you were not at lunch?"

Once more Claire shook her head as she continued to eat. "I also needed to look over some of the work done. The new enclosures are not the only work being down, Owen. There's the expansion at the docks so more then one ferry can be docked and boarded as well as other ships. I've also got to start organize for the opening in a few months... there's a lot of work needing to be done."

Shaking his head, Owen shrugged. "I'm so happy that I don't have your job..."

That only got him a narrowed eyed glare from Claire.

* * *

Blue looked up from the children's book she was reading to see Owen walk into what was now called 'The Raptor's Den' with a worried look directed at his phone. "Daddy? Something wrong?"

That caused Barry to look up from where he was teaching Echo to read and was followed by the rest including Rexy, who had been looking over Blue's shoulder. With a sigh, Owen shook his head and walked to the couch where he slumped onto it. "Not really, Blue. Just Gracy still isn't answering her phone."

Curious, Charlie looked over from where she laid. "{ _Gracy? Who Gracy?_ }"

Looking up, Owen was met by the pack and Rexy all watching him with interested looks. However it was Barry who answered them. "Wait, you mean Grace? Your sister?"

As Owen nodded and was about to comment, Delta perked up. "{ _Alpha... Daddy have sister? Nestmate?!_ }"

With a chuckle, Owen nodded a bit. "Yeah, she's only two years younger then me... And yeah, she's not answering my phone calls or emails so I'm worried."

Concerned, Barry frowned as he watched his friend run a hand through his hair. "Okay, so Gracy isn't answering any phone calls from you. Why would that have you worried? It's not the first time after all considering she researches wolves."

That caused Echo to perk up. "{ _Wolf? Is furry thing that hunts like True..._ }" She glanced at Rexy who raised an eyebrow. "{ _Like Swift-Hunter, yes?_ }"

Nodding, Owen smiled a bit. "Yeah... they hunt in packs. In fact, I used some of her research as a basis for when I started to work with you girls as well as other research into Raptors." After a moment of silence, he continued. "What I'm about to tell you guys needs to be a secret unless Claire lets you know you can tell someone. Because you knowing and telling someone about it could get Claire in a lot of trouble."

Now really concerned, Barry frown became deeper as the rest agreed. "Okay... that sounds like your sister might be involved in InGen and Masrani..."

Owen stared at his phone as if it would ring at any time. "Claire just found out that they're making a new park, except it's in Canada and they'll be using recreated Ice Age animals there... Remember that paper of hers I showed you a few years back, Barry?"

Rubbing his face as he realized what Owen was talking, Barry groaned. "Right, the paper on the possible pack dynamics of dire wolves using modern day wolves as a basis..." He then stilled a bit. "Didn't she tell you a few weeks back that she was working on some sort of project regarding her research in Canada. "

A grunt escaped from Owen as he sat down the phone. "Yeah... she told me that it was a big break for her research and I would be surprised when I heard about it..."

Tilting her head to the side, Charlie let out a chirp. "{ _She like you?_ }"

While he shook his head, Owen chuckled. "Kind of... she's a animal behaviorist with a specialty in wolves. Never went into the military like me, but damn if she does not know her stuff in regards with wolves and survival..." For a moment, there was a far off look on his face. "About three years before you were hatched, she went out into the backwoods with very little and found herself a wild wolf pack. It took her some time, but she managed to actually intigrate herself with the pack and they treated her as one of her own for over a year... Gracy had to leave eventually though due to her health deterioating."

Barry remembered a picture that Owen had showed him. "Yeah, she was pretty thin and gaunt, but there was something there..."

Shaking his head, Owen sighed. "First thing out of her mouth besides hello was a demand for strawberry jam. Gave her a jar and she sat down and scooped out almost half the jar as she ate it. Took her over a year before she was able to eat normal food after spending almost two years eating pretty much raw food."

Her eyes wide, Blue's mouth dropped open in surprise. "Daddy's sister just as much Alpha as he is!"

Chuckling, Owen shook his head. "That's one way of putting it..." His eyes narrowing, Owen spotted the grin on Barry's face and pointed at him. "Don't."

If anything, that caused the grin to widen as Barry shrugged. "What? I was just going to say that she's like you, a real character."

With his eyes still narrowed, Owen glared at him. "Uh-huh, sure you were." Feeling the couch cushion beside shift as someone sat down, Owen glanced to see Blue was beside him. "Let me guess.. you want to see what Gracy looks like, right?"

Nodding, Blue leaned in. "Yes, daddy, want to see what your nestmate looks like."

As he shook his head, Owen got up from the couch. "Just stay here, I'll be right back." Several minutes later, he walked back in and sat down with a book in his lap. It took him only a moment to flip through the pages until he stopped and pointed at a picture. "This is Gracy, my little sis."

Looking around, Owen spotted that the rest of the pack had somehow snuck up and were all crowding him to look at the brown haired woman who stood next to him in a picture. It was Delta who broke the silence as she bobbed her head. "{ _Nestmate, sister, looks really strong and tough._ }"

The Raptor trainer only nodded. "Yeah... she is. Smart too, which is why if InGen and Masrani are bringing back dire wolves that she'll be at the top of their list of experts to try and rope in on it..."


	20. Chapter 20

Disclaimer: Jurassic World is owned by Universal Pictures

" _Hello?_ " -Phone or radio.

"{ _Alpha!_ }" -Dinosaur language.

* * *

Grace Grady laid in the warm, humid mangrove mud as she slowly opened her eyes to look up at the treetops. As she laid there, she softly groaned from the aches and pains throughout her body. Slowly, her mind began to work as she remembered how she got to where she was. Having gotten some time off from a project she was working without much rest on with InGen, she had decided to pay her brother a visit after realizing that he had been trying to get in contact with her. Of course, wanting to surprise Owen, Grace decided not to tell him that she was coming at all. That had found Grace in Costa Rica having just missed the last boat of the day. However, Gradys, as her mother told her many times, never gave up and she tried to negotiate for someone to take her out to Nublar.

It was then that she had spotted someone she recognized as being a member of InGen's security. Even though Grace had forgotten his name, his features and that bald head she recognized. Walking over, she had interrupted his conversation with someone... For a few moments she racked her mind and then remembered. 'Dodgson... Something... Right, Lewis Dodgson, okay...'

The memories came quicker then. After he realized who she was, the InGen security guy had offered to take her to Nublar. So her, him, and Dodgson had hopped on a fishing boat and headed out. They had talked about things including her wanting to surprise her brother with her arrival. On the way though, a storm had broken and a wave had hit the boat and even though she felt Dodgson's hands on her back as if he was trying to steady her, she fell overboard. Part of her was suspicious though as the boat simply continued on as she tried to keep her head above the storm tossed waves. Her boots too heavy, Gracy had untied them between gasps of air and swam the best she could.

Desperate not to be smashed into a volcanic cliff that looked nearby, she swam for a cave even as her muscles protested their treatment. Swept through it, she found herself in the middle of a mangrove forest and made her way between the flooded trees until it had given way to more muck then water. Eventually though, even crawling was too much and she had collapsed.

Now though, Grace slowly got to her feet as she also being woken up by a massive boom that shook the ground beneath her. "Okay, Grace, come on... No pain, no gain..." Leaning against a tree, she took a deep breath as she tried to ignore how every part of her ached. Checking herself over, Grace let out a sigh as she realized that her Sat phone was still on her belt and in the waterproof case. As she grumbled, Grace took it out of the case and examined it. "Okay... Still working. Owen might not let me live it down, but I guess he knew his stuff... first things first though, got to find some place with reception."

Sighing as every part of her body felt like just laying back down in the mud, Grace began to track through the trees...

* * *

With a snarl as he rushed into the control room to the sound of alarms blaring, Dodgson glared at the nearest tech. "What the hell just happened!?" Attempting to tell him as she also tried to do her work, the tech wasn't fast enough as Dodgson grabbed her. "WHAT JUST HAPPENED!"

A chuckle caused him to drop her as he turned toward his head of security. "It was Willis, Lewis. Bastard slipped something into the mainframe and shut down all the safeties on the geothermal powerplant. That boom? That was it going up from the pressure in the pipes getting too high."

Since he now had a target, Dodgson stalked up and shoved a finger into the man's chest. "He was one of _your_ men, Murphy! You guys cleared him for the project! How the fuck did you not realize what he was going to do!?"

However, the man only watched the screen with a blank look as he grunted. "Willis must have been undercover for years now, Lewis. And we only know that it was a two part program, so he must have slipped the other half in months ago. Can't be from a private concern, so must be a government. In which case there was no way for us to know."

Dodgson didn't care though as he growled. "It's still your fuck up, Murphy. Fix it!"

Narrowing his eyes, James Murphy glared at Dodgson who flinched back a bit. "I've already sent teams out after him and until we got the backups online, we're on emergency power-" He was cut off by a new series of alarms. "Report!"

One of the techs gulped and turned. "It's the program sir, we're getting cascading failures across the island! Backup generators also failing, engineering teams report that there were small explosions inside them! They're reporting that they must have been sabotaged!"

Face pale, Dodgson turned toward his head of security. "That means that the assets..."

His lips in a thin line, Murphy slowly nodded. "They'll be able to get out..."

* * *

As the lights became red, two workers near one of the pens paused after having sent a cow through the chute to it's death. "What the hell is happening?"

Looking around, the other frowned and shook his head as his eyebrows furrowed. "Some kind of test? Or maybe a drill?" Hearing a screech, he blinked and looked at the chute only for his eyes to widen as the indicator lights for the bottom chute door, made to close as soon as the cow was through, were off. "SHIT!"

Surprised, his fellow worker turned toward him from where he stood in front of the chute. "What is it?!"

It was then that he heard flapping and scratching and turned around in time for claws to grab him and drag him screaming into the chute. Not even caring, the other worker began to run down the hall as the screaming was cut short. Even the sounds of screaching and flapping were now enough to cause him to turn.

Thus, he didn't see the taloned foot attached to a feathered leg grab his head before the sickle claw on it was thrust into his skull...

* * *

The shadowed form had come close to the fence through the trees having heard the sound of screaming and explosions. It stood there as the light glinted off it's three horns attatched to an armored skull. However, unfortunitely for everyone else on the island, the creature noticed something. There, on top of one of the normally electrified cables that composed it's fence was a bird.

One that had not been electrocuted to death.

Several moments passed before the creature slowly strode toward the fence, a tongue lashing out from behind a row of massive, dagger-like teeth. Each foot step caused the massive, feet to sink into the wet soil as it kept one sickle claw, easily the length of a man, above the much. It stopped before the fence and briefly touched it, only to back away as it was not shocked.

It continued to back up into the trees even as branches scraped against it's armored back, it's spiked tail smashing other branches aside...

Then it charged toward the fence with a triumphant roar, knowing that the true ruler of the island was about to be free of it's imprisonment...

* * *

Having made her way out of most of the mangroves, Grace had climbed up into one to look around. A frown was on her face as she scanned the island she was on. All around her, massive volcanic walls of the caldera she was in rose up and cut the interior off from the exterior. It was then that movement on part of the walls caught Grace's attention. Bringing up her scope, one of the few things she had not lost when she fell overboard, Grace felt her eyes widen as she zoomed in. On one of the switchbacks was a man that was running from what resembled a group of oversized Compys, except they had Stegosaurus plates and spikes on their tail. The man had very nearly reached a vehicle when Grace nearly dropped her scope at what happened next.

One of the dinosaurs opened it's mouth and a tongue shot out over twelve feet and grabbed the man before he was pulled toward the advancing pack. Quickly pulling the scope away from her eyes, Grace tried to calm herself as she shook her head. "What in the fuck was _that!?_ " Several moments passed before she placed the scope to her eyes again, but made sure not to look at where the pack of the creatures she had seen were.

Another bit of movement caught her attention and Grace watched as upriver from her, what looked like a sauropod walk out of the water. However, it looked _wrong_ to her eyes. It had a fin running down most of it's neck which expanded to a mix of a sail and spines on the back. But it's head looked like more like a Spinosaurus and, as she watched, said head lashed out into the tall grass by the shoreline. Moments later, it lifted to reveal a dead goat in it's mouth which it swallowed. "Oh... Owen told me about that whole 'Bigger, more teeth' bullshit, but fuck me..."

* * *

Owen was talking with Vivian when his phone rang and he pulled it out to see that the number was that of his sister. With a scowl, he answered it and put it to his ear. "Dammit, Gracy? Where the fuck have you... Wait, what was that?" Slowly, his expression transformed from pissed to worried and he walked quickly over to Lowery. "Okay, okay, just one moment." Pulling it away from his ear, he leaned down to Lowery. "Can you track the call on my sat phone?"

A bit confused, Lowery just nodded. "Yeah... sure, might take me a bit, but I can do that..."

While he worked, Owen brought his phone back to his ear. "Okay, we're tracking you now, Gracy. Now what exactly is going on again?"

Through the speaker, his sister's voice drifted through with a slight bit of panic underlaying it. " _I was coming to visit you and wanted it to be a surprise so I didn't call. But by the time I got to the docks in Costa Rica, the last boat had left for the day. Despite that I found a ride with one of the InGen security guys I recognized... bald head and beard... about his fifties?_ "

Blinking, Owen felt a slight chill go through him as it sounded like one of the InGen soldiers who had taken off with Wu. 'No... it couldn't be...'

However, Grace just continued. " _Anyways, he was with some guy named Lewis Dodgson._ " Another chill went down Owen's back as part of him recognized that name. " _The InGen security guy recognized me and I asked if they knew of any more trips out to the island and they said that they were transporting supplies and I could join them. On the way though we encountered a storm and I got knocked overboard, but I'm not sure about that._ "

As he clinched his hand into a fist, Owen glanced at the map to see that Lowery was narrowing down the source. "What do you mean by that..."

There was a snort on the other end of the phone. " _What do you think I mean? Especially with how the boat didn't stop... anyways, I managed to swim to this island and got swept into some caves, coming out inside the island._ "

Searching his mind for what island it might be, Owen frowned. "Describe it to me..."

He could almost hear his sister's shrug over the phone. " _Big, everything that I can see is inside a massive caldera. There's also what looks like a rise in the... east of the caldera and I can just see some buildings there._ " Grace continued as Owen wrote everything down and Lowery glanced at it. " _But we got bigger problems then that, bro._ "

Now that caused Owen's eyebrow to raise, especially at the tone in her voice. "What do you mean by that?"

Utter silence was on the other end before Grace spoke up. " _Owen... I've seen a number of what seems to be genetic hybrids of dinosaurs. A_ _ **lot**_ _of them if what I see is correct. Also, whoever is on this island seems to have suffered one_ _ **hell**_ _of a containment breach because they seem to be everywhere._ "

Paling, Owen tried to keep his heartbeat down as he had flashbacks to the Indominus. If anything, he got paler as his sister described what she had seen before he grunted. "Grace... listen to me carefully. I will be coming to get you as soon as I can, and I am bringing as much firepower and backup as I can. _Stay where you are_ , I'll be there soon."

Warmth was in in sister's voice as it took on a joking tone. " _I know you will, Owe. You always have my back._ " Several seconds passed before she sighed. " _As for staying here, I'll try. But I can't promise anything as if any of those..._ _ **things**_ _get close, I'm going to have to get the hell out of dodge._ "

Even though he was worried as hell, Owen only took a deep breath and let it out. "Okay... but I'm coming for you." He noticed that Lowery nodded as his sister hung up. "You got her?"

Lowery nodded as he zoomed in. "Yeah, I found the island she's at and it's a perfect match for her description."

A moment later, the Raptor trainer clapped him on the shoulder. "Good, I owe you big time for this, Lowery. And I won't forget it either..." He then turned toward Vivian. "Call up..."

He trailed off as he noticed that she was already on her own computer and making a phone call. "I'll call up the ACU and tell them to get ready and break out the big guns. Hopefully we'll do better this time."

Nodding, Owen rushed off to find Claire and let her know. Especially as he had an idea now of where Wu might be.

* * *

It was a sign of Owen's restlessness as the members of the ACU walked into the meeting room that he fidgeted. A moment later though, Claire placed a hand on his shoulder which calmed him some as Lowery finished setting up a projector. Once they were all in, Claire walked to the front of the room. Part of her noted that the female member of the Tun-Si tribe that Gerry and Jess had recommanded for the ACU managed to get through the door closed and was near the back. "I'm not military, so I'll be brief. I've called you all here for volunteers for a rescue mission on a nearby island."

All of the ACU members straightened a bit at that as they were used to missions to rescue tourists who got stuck on nearby dinosaur populated islands. One of them cleared her throat and spoke up. "Ma'am, what's the situation?"

Taking a breath, Claire glanced at Owen and then nodded. "Earlier this morning, Owen received a phone call from his sister, Grace Grady." She ignored the raised eyebrows and the looks toward her tense boyfriend. "Apparently she managed to hop on a boat that she was told was coming to Nublar to surprise Owen with a visit. Being as she's a high level Masrani and InGen employee, she had permission. That said, we know that it was actually a trap as the InGen security member is one of the rogues who headed off with Wu and his team during the incident with the Indominus. The other person with him is none other then what has been reported as Lewis Dodgson."

Hearing the name caused Nima to stiffen a bit in the back. "That hijo de puta is involved?"

Claire only raised an eyebrow at that before she nodded. "He is... now, Miss Grady was tossed off the boat during stormy seas, we suspect on purpose, but managed to survive and reach the nearby island. However... that brings us to the major issue... We suspect that the island is the one where Wu was brought by rogue InGen elements and that they have had a containment failure of some sort. A large number of genetic hybrids have escaped and Miss Grady is now in danger."

For several moments there was utter silence before Meyers, one of the survivors of the ill-fated ACU team who attempted to bring down the Indominus, spoke up with a pale face. "Multiple hybrids..."

Slowly, Claire nodded. "Which why we're asking for volunteers _only_ on this mission. And you will be going in, grabbing Miss Grady and getting out. You are not going to be used to recapture any animals there. _If_ you see Doctor Wu or any of his team, you can capture them as well _only_ if it does not threaten your health." She pretended not to see the dark looks on a number of the troopers' faces. While some blamed her for the Indominus, when it came out that Wu and Hoskins had hijacked the project as a prototype for military dinosaur their ire had switched targets. "I'll say again, you are not going to try and contain anything, you are simply there to rescue someone and get them out. Nothing more, nothing less."

In the back, another ACU member spoke up. "What about anyone else on the island in question?"

There was a thin, grim smile on Claire's face. "We have informed both the American and Costa Rican governments in regard to what we have discovered. I have been personally told that the US military will be visiting the island by no later then tomorrow evening and will contain the incident. However, you may encounter members of the Unidad Especial de Intervención of Costa Rica who I have been told may also arrive on the island at some point in the next two days. In which case, stay out of their way."

Commander Austin had a similar grim smile on his face as part of him imagined what was going to happen before he cleared his throat. "Weapons ma'am? And do we have a map of the island in question?"

Nodding, Claire let out a breath. "Any and all weapons we have are available including the ACU0001 and ACU002 helicopters." More then a few of the ACU members grinned at the thought of seeing the new armed Augusta AW109s they had been given. On the screen behind Claire, Lowery brought up a map of an island which seemed to be inside one massive caldera. "The island in question is Isla del Crepúsculo and is thirty miles West-Southwest of where we are. As you can see, the island has high crater walls falling toward the caldera floor with three sea caves from which a interior river exits. We'll have a patrol boat there keeping watch just in case..."

* * *

Grace sat on the tree branch with her legs swinging below her as she looked at the sky above. Several moments of quiet passed before she turned toward the man who was in the tree across from her. "So... Willis, was it?"

The man glanced at her before he looked down at more growling. "Yeah... and no, I'm not telling you my full name either before you can ask."

Crossing her arms across her chest as she huffed and blew a sweaty bang away from her brow. "God... are all you spooks like this?" At the glare she got, Grace rolled her eyes. "My brother was in the Navy SEALs, Willis. I've hung out with some of his old buddies so I can spot someone like you easily. Anyways... what the hell are those things below us?"

With a sigh, Willis looked down at the group of animals that looked like a raptor and a wolf had a drunken one night stand. One of them leapt up with each of it's four legs tipped with a sickle-like claw, only to fall back to the ground. "Those would be Deinonycanis." Seeing the raised eyebrow, he shrugged. "They're genetic hybrids of dire wolves and deinonychus."

For several moments, Grace stared at him and then down at the animals below. "... Why in the fucking hell would they do that!?"

Shrugging, Willis leaned back against the tree trunk even as the seven creatures hissed and growled. "Dogs are easily trained, your brother showed that raptors could be trained. So they figured that mixing one of the largest, most powerful canines with a raptor species would create something easily trained for military applications."

As she felt a headache come on, Grace pinched the bridge of her nose. "Oh for... dogs and humans have co-existed for 10,000 years and probably far longer then that. We've basically adapted to each other to form a symbiosis. Wolves are not easily trained even from cubs... Who the fuck thought that combining the two was a good idea!?"

Willis gave a bit of a grin at her. "Did your brother ever tell you of someone called Vic Hoskins? These were his personal project of sorts." His grin became wider at her groan and the curses that streamed from her mouth at the deceased man. After a few moments, it calmed down and he cleared his throat. "So, uh... any idea how long they might hang around for?"

Raising an eyebrow, Grace looked down and shrugged. "Depends on how stubborn they are or if something else comes by. Easier prey would be one thing they might want, or if there's a bigger predator to scare them off. Either of them would be good in a sense."

While he closed his eyes and groaned, Willis shook his head. "Just great..."

* * *

Shifting the tactical vest on him slightly, Owen kept one hand on top of the restrained Blue's head. He leaned back a against the wall of interior fusalage of the helicopter as the Raptor huffed a bit before he looked to where Nima who was watching him. "By the way... thanks for backing me up there with bringing Blue and Roxanne along."

Nima only raised an eyebrow as she looked up at him with a shrug. "Both Jess and Gerry vouched for both of you and the Raptor. That's good enough in my book." Glancing toward a shifting Rexy, she raised an eyebrow. "You okay over there?"

With a grunt, the transformed T-Rex crossed her arms as she shifted position best she could with the straps holding her down. "Yes, just hate flying."

All Nima did was shake her head a bit before she turned back to Owen and nodded toward his rifle. "Interesting choice for a rifle."

Chuckling, Owen smirked a bit. "Yeah, well, the Marlin 1895' may not be too fancy. But it's rugged and simple, perfect for what I need." He then tapped the barrel. "Besides, it's made to drop big animals like bison at several hundred yards, and with dinosaurs that's what you need."

There was a slight smirk on Nima's face as the helicopter shook some. "I'm not disagreeing. Give me a good hunting rifle or shotgun over what the ones that the rest seem to be using. Still... at least it seems that Masrani outfits their people better then InGen did during the original park."

Even though the events around the first park were generally unknown, Owen was still somewhat interested to hear about some of the details. "So then, what did InGen give out their troops during the first park?" Catching the look from Nima, Owen shrugged. "Call me curious and we got time to spend before we arrive."

With a nod, Nima laughed a bit. "You won't believe this, but they gave the rescue squads that came to look for survivors AK-47s for their main weapons."

Utter silence met her as Owen tried his best to process that. "AK-47s... they gave their original security forces AK-47s to use against dinosaurs...?" At Nima's nod, he only shook his head. "Don't get me wrong, they're good guns but probably not my first choice against a dinosaur of any real size."

It was then that the pilot leaned out of the cockpit. "We're about fifteen minutes out."

Once more placing his hand on Blue's head, Owen slowly nodded. "Thanks." Looking down as Blue looked back up at him and softly whined, the trainer gave a grim smile. "Don't worry, girl. We'll let you stretch you legs soon enough..."

* * *

Claire frowned as he looked over at the screen which had Tim on it. Said person looked under a lot of stress as he drank from a glass of water. "So you're telling me that you suspect that the Feds may be involved?"

Grimly, Tim nodded as he massaged the side of his head. "It's too much of a coincidence after I got in contact with them. Especially as Biosyn's offices are getting raided by FBI agents across the country and I have sources that their offices in other countries are also getting seized by police forces. This is too coordinated to be anything _but_ planned out well in advance."

There was a thoughtful expression on Simon's face as he considered this. "Biosyn has been in trouble since the rabies debacle in Chile. If they've been investigated since then, it makes sense..." However, Simon trailed off as Tim's expression became more grave as he received something on his computer. "Tim?"

All Tim did was hold up a hand. "Give me a moment..." After a few seconds, Tim held his face in his hands before he turned toward Claire. "I'm going to warn you now, I've just been informed that there's an entire MEU on it's way to the island. One that apparently just _happened_ to be close by when they got their marching orders."

Neither Claire nor Simon believed that for a second before the red haired woman cleared her throat with a frown. "They know that we have the ACU performing a rescue mission, correct?"

With a frown, Tim sighed. "I've informed them as such as I am sure that Simon did as well." Masrani's owner nodded with a frown on his own face. "They've stated that they have no issue with that, though we should expect a team to make sure that we aren't attempting to pull a fast one on the military. So please warn them when they get back that some people will be interviewing them."

Despite the unease in her gut at the idea that they had no control over what was going on, Claire nodded. "I will be informing them..."

* * *

James Murphy raged as he entered the control room, one of the few areas of the island with any electricity. "WHERE THE FUCK IS DODGSON!?"

One of the techs jumped and looked at another nervously before he pointed toward another door. "He, um, said that needed to make a call on a sat phone and went down that hallway." Flinching some at the glare he got, the tech swallowed. "He hasn't come back yet..."

Several seconds passed as James' frowned in thought. 'Sat phone? Why would he go...' His eyes suddenly widened and his face went red with rage. "THAT SON OF A BITCH!" Running out of the control room, James' rushed down the hallway only to stop at the sight of one of the small armories open. One of the shelves contained what looked like black, metal boxes the size of shoeboxes which had a flaring cone at one end. They were all hooked up to chargers except for one that was missing. "You fucking bastard..." With a snarl, he brought his radio up to his mouth. "This is Murphy here, if any of you see Dodgson, you are ordered to detain the son of a bitch. Even if that means putting a bullet in his ass."

A moment later though, one of the team leaders came over the radio as James ran toward the nearby garage. " _Sir? D-Team, we encountered Willis approximately six minutes ago with an unknown. Tried to capture both, but they split up... We lost Seth going after the female who lead him toward where Dilophospinus were._ "

His eyes narrowed, James' scowled. "And Willis?"

While he continued to jog into the garage, he received news that caused him to nearly throw the radio. " _We lost him as well, Sir. Jack, Ann, and Elric are all dead... all shot and we know that Willis didn't have any weapons visible._ "

That caused James' to still as his anger became cold. "Did any of you hear any gunshots."

It took a moment and James knew that the Lieutenant was looking at the others before he answered. " _No, Sir, no gunshots were heard. We didn't even know that they were dead until we stumbled across their bodies having been hidden in the underbrush._ "

Eyes shut, James attempted to calm himself for several moments. 'Not just corporate espionage then...'

However, his thoughts were then interrupted by another team calling in. " _This is F-Team, we discovered a abandoned car here, Sir... It was wrecked and it looks like it was Dodgson's personal vehicle._ "

A savage grin crossed James' face. "What wrecked it and where's Dodgson?"

There was a beat before the team answered. " _We found a Pachyceratops and we could see that it had a piece of one of the doors on it's horn before we drove it off. As for Dodgson, he's no sign of him and... wait, Sir, do we have any helicopters out?_ "

Confused, James blinked. "No, we don't have any-"

Suddenly the team came back over the radio. " _IT'S A JURASSIC WORLD HELICOPTER! SHOOT IT DOWN, SHOOT IT DOWN!_ "

Another team member began to shout over the gunfire. " _LOOK OUT! IT'S ARMED AND-_ "

The transmission suddenly cut off and James shouted into the radio. "F-TEAM! REPORT!" All he got was static before he shouted into it again. "REPORT F-TEAM!" When no answer came though, he scowled and nearly threw the damn thing. "Fuck... can this get any worse..."

Just then another transmission came over the radio. " _Extraction Team... Sir, we got bad news, as we were evacuating the geneticists to the roof helipad, some of the Velocirapteryx managed to break through the roof entrance... we lost some of the eggheads..._ "

This time James actually threw the radio in rage.

* * *

Getting out of the helicopter, Owen removed the muzzle from Blue and looked around the mangrove area as water sloshed around their ankles. Behind them, Nima and Rexy also left the helicopter behind as it lifted off. "Okay, Blue... can you smell her? She smells like me."

Blue turned her head in various directions as she took a deep sniff, her claws digging deep into the mud before she chirped. "{ _I have her, daddy._ }" She leapt onto one of the mangrove roots and smelt it. "{ _She went this way!_ }"

With a grin, Owen shifted his tactical vest a little along with his gun. "She's signalling she's got the scent."

Raising an eyebrow, Nima glanced at Blue who hopped from one foot to the other impatiently. "Pretty useful that. Well... let's get going." Pulling her machete out, Nima glanced around at the bird calls. "Tide's coming in again, so we hopefully won't lose the scent."

A moment later, she looked at Blue who seemed to snort at the idea. Owen just gave the Raptor a look, but nodded. "I don't think that she'll lose the scent. After all, a pack of Raptors did follow Doctor Grant and a group of people across Sorna, even when they went down a river."

Simply nodding, Nima took point and slashed through some of the undergrowth as they made their way through them, Blue leading them. Meanwhile, Rexy walked up beside Owen and softly growled. "Smell many things... some of them are wrong."

Humming, Owen glanced at the sky as he listened to the radio, including ACU0002's group who reported being fired upon and firing back. Moments later they stated that the threat was neutralized which caused Owen to nod. "Yeah... this entire island is wrong..."

Up above them, clouds began to slowly gather...


	21. Chapter 21

Disclaimer: Jurassic World is owned by Universal Pictures

" _Hello?_ " -Phone or radio.

"{ _Alpha!_ }" -Dinosaur language.

* * *

Owen rolled underneath the swinging tail club as he heard Nima taking potshots at the other creatures nearby. And out of the corner of his eye, he spotted Rexy punch one in the side of the head hard enough for it to veer off course and slam into a tree, breaking it's neck. Getting up into a crouch, he fired, only for the bullet to instead imbed itself in bone and nothing else. "SHIT!"

Just as Owen dodged another attack, he noticed heard the sound of claws pounding against the soil and looked up in time to see Blue leap on top of the flying mutant. Said Raptor snarled as the creature underneath it screeched back. "{ _TRY AND HURT MY DADDY! I'LL KILL YOU!_ }"

Despite the weight on it's back, the creature managed to still stay in the air as the Raptor attempted to kill it until Owen shouted. "BLUE! JUMP!" Listening, Blue did so in time for Owen's bullet to smash through the hybrid's bottom jaw and through it's skull, killing it. Relieved, all Owen did was suck in mouthfuls of air as he shook his head. "That was too close..."

A snort caused him to look to the side as Nima and Rexy walked up, both of them covered in mud and leaves. Reloading her shotgun, Nima smirked. "Should have aimed for the wings, those aren't covered in armor." With a frown, she walked over to the creature that Owen had killed and shook her head. "What are these things..."

Walking up himself, Owen just shook his head as he looked over the hybrid. "Looks like they mixed Pteranodon and Ankylosaur DNA. Flying with a tail club and bone armor... but how the hell could they fly?"

Over the radio, Claire's voice could be heard. " _I got Patricia here. she thinks she knows..._ "

There was the sound of the headset being passed to someone and then another woman's voice. " _Mr. Grady? Doctor Patricia Cheung here... I think that I know how the hybrids there are flying..._ "

Slowly moving forward with Blue just in front of him and Nima and Rexy behind, Owen nodded. "Oh yeah? Mind telling us?"

For a moment there was a pause before Patricia began to speak. " _We often got together and had brainstorming sessions after work as it were. The other geneticists and myself that is. One of the things that came up was how to create lifeforms heavier then normal, but able to still fly... one of the things thrown around was the use of insect DNA to boost the strength of the wings. Like how a beetle can be much heavier then normal, but fly. These... creatures, can fly, but likely only for short distances before needing a rest._ "

Tilting his head a bit, Owen checked around. "Well... that's good, it means that we don't need to worry about any reaching the mainland."

Behind him, Rexy grinned a bit. "It does make them crunchier though for anything eating them."

Nima blinked and gave her an odd look before she shook it off. 'Strange woman...'

Meanwhile, Owen glanced up and frowned. "What's the weather looking like, Control?"

A few seconds later, Lowery's voice came over the radio. " _So far, not bad. The choppers have dropped off the teams and are circling... but we are seeing some thunderstorms rolling in. They might have to set down for a few hours somewhere and wait them out._ "

There was a grimace on Owen's face as they strode deeper into the jungle. "Just greeeat..." Feeling a vibration, he reached into one pocket and pulled out his sat phone. "Lowery, track the signal of the call on me." With practiced ease, the Raptor trainer opened it. "Gracy? That you?"

* * *

Laying on her back, Grace took a breath from where she was under a car she found, the sat phone propped between her shoulder and ear as she used her hands to work above. "Yeah, it's me, Owe."

One could hear the relief in Owen's voice through the phone. " _Oh, thank God... where the hell are you?_ "

With a grunt, several sparks fell from above and just barely missed Grace's face before she stilled. Glancing to the side, she relaxed and went back to work. "One of the main roads, it looks like. Found an abandoned vehicle here and looks like some wires were knocked loose. I'm trying... to... fix... this fucker..."

Beside the car, what sounded like a cross between a bellow and a roar could be heard. Once more stilling, Grace glanced to the side as her brother's voice came over the phone, low and gentle though with a hint of fear. " _Gracy... what was that?_ "

Sheepishly chuckling, she got back to work. "Well... just after I got here, this herd of dinosaurs came up... and were slightly annoyed with me being here, so I dove under the car after grabbing a booklet from the front seat, has a list of dinosaurs you know..."

Owen growled over the phone before he hissed. " _Gracy... What the hell is around you...?_ "

Taking a breath, Grace grimaced. "Well... they're called Giganocephalus, a hybrid between Giganotosaurus and Euoplocephalus... pretty big guys actually..."

For several moments there was silence on the other hand before Owen's voice drifted through her phone. " _Giganotosaurus... you mean the carnosaur!? Grace, you got to get out of there right now!_ "

All Grace did though was chuckle. "Nah, turns out that they're pure plant eaters wouldn't you know it. The booklet states that they're more like Ankylosaurs in tempermant, so as long as I don't startle them or make them feel threatened, I should be okay." It was then that there was another bellow and Grace frowned as she saw the small herd get up and begin to amble off. 'Why would they...' Clearing her throat, she grabbed the phone. "Owen? Bro? I'll get back to you as soon as I can."

Grace could hear her brother's fear for her in his voice. " _Grace, Grace, stay on the line!_ "

She just shook her head. "Something's happening and I can't be on the phone in case I need to get out of here." With that, she switched off the phone and finished up the repair work. Sighing, she shook her head and frowned. 'There. done. But why...' It was then that she heard a scuffing sound and looked over to see a pair of boots...

Men's boots that she recognized and glared at.

Even if she had not recognized them or the muddy khakis, she would have recognized Dodgson's voice. "About damn time..."

Underneath the car, every muscle in Grace's body tensed like coiled springs as she shifted just a bit as above, the driver's door opened. Reacting quickly, she swung her body sideways and grabbed Dodgson's boots and yanked them to the side and under the car some, causing him to slam into the ground. Shaking his head, he noticed her and his eyes widened. "What!? I thought that I finished you off on the boat!"

Snarling, Grace lashed out and felt as well as heard the satisfying sound of cartilage breaking as her boot made contact with his face. "Yeah, me."

Dodgson howled as he grabbed at his nose, blood streaming out. "You bitch!" Before he could do anything else though, a boom could be heard and both looked at a nearby puddle which had ripples in it from another boom. His eyes wide at seeing something, Dodgson shoved himself under the car. "Move over!" As she was shoved a bit to the side, Grace looked down the length of the car and spotted two massive feet with sickle claws coming up the road. The creature came up along the side of the vehicle as Dodgson trembled. "Fuck... the Ultimasaurus is out... fuck..."

Even as Dodgson pushed himself into the centerline of the car and close to her, Grace ignored him as the feet came to a stop. Outside, the dinosaur began to sniff and Grace glanced a look at the terrifyed Dodgson and the blood that was gushing from his nose. 'Shit... it can smell us...'

Beside her, Dodgson continued to shake while Grace was perfectly calm as she knew what she had to do as the creature bumped the car with it's snout. Quickly, she shifted her body and braced her shoulders against the wheel. Dodgson turned to look at her as her boots pushed against his lower legs. Pushing them out from beneath the car.

Now utterly terrified, Dodgson tried to fight but Grace's position was much stronger. Bit by bit, his body was pushed out from beneath the car as the Ultimasaurus' feet shifted. "What are you doing?!" Scrabbling, he tried to keep himself from being shoved out. "Stop it! Stop this right now!"

Grinning bloodthirstedly, Grace glared at him as she gave one last shove so that his lower body now stuck out, visible to the Ultimasaurus. "Payback's a bitch, asshole. And so am I!"

The massive, armored head came down and with deceptive gentleness, grabbed Dodgson's legs in it's jaws and pulled him out and upwards as it lifted. Grace's last sight of her would be murderer was his pale face as he screamed, clawing at her. "You bitch! YOU FUCKING BITCH!"

And then it was gone and Grace closed her eyes before the screams were cut off with a crunch. 'Oh God... oh God...' She didn't know how long she laid there listening to the sound of bones snapping before it stopped. Grace just tried to ignore it best she could and, after what seemed like hours, the Ultimasaurus wandered off. Still, she gave it a good stretch of time before she slowly crawled out from underneath the car, making sure to avoid the side where she had pushed Dodgson which had red spots drying in the sand.

Looking around, Grace nodded as she saw that the giant predator was gone and then walked to the side of the road...

Before she began to promptly puke as the sounds of Dodgson's death replayed in her head.

* * *

Her arms full, Jess walked into the Control Room. "Coffee run."

Several people turned toward her and took the various drinks as she made her way through the room. Grabbing one, Claire raised an eyebrow at her. "Any particular reason that you decided to drop by?"

With a glance toward his boss, Lowery grabbed a drink himself. "Not that any of us are really complaining really..."

As the last of the drinks were grabbed, Jess rotated her shoulder a bit. "Was coming back from some work that my dad and me were working on, so decided to drop in and see about Blue's condition as I'm her vet."

Claire sipped her drink as she watched the screen and frowned a bit. "So far she's doing good, no injuries yet... thankfully we've seen only minor injuries for the ACU with one twisted ankle."

For several moments Jess considered that as she rotated her shoulder, the fact that Nima was out there bringing up some old memories. However, Vivian caught sight of her moving her shoulder and frowned. "Is your shoulder okay? I mean, you were in a nasty crash with the Titanoboa..."

That got a laugh from Jess as she shook her head. "No, no, nothing like that. I just had my tattoo added to a few days ago and while healed, it's still a little tender." Seeing the interest, she turned and pulled the straps her tank top aside to reveal a tattoo on her back. Said tattoo had a gravestone with the skulls of a Troodon, two Pteranodons, a Dimorphodon, and a obviously new addition of the skull of a Koolasuchus. "See?"

Confused, Vivian leaned in as she kept one eye on the screens. "Wait... isn't that a skull of that amphibian you killed a while back?"

Shaking her head, Jess sighed a bit. "It's symbolic. The gravestone represents someone who saved both my dad's and my own lives back during the original disaster who died named Oscar Morales during the first disaster and...The skulls represent what I've killed in defense of others. A Troodon during the reclaimation, the fliers during the recent event, and the Koolasuchus. It's to remind me of lessons learned..."

As he shook his head, Lowery turned his full attention back onto the screen as he muttered under his breath. "Still rather badass..."

Choosing to ignore that, Claire frowned as she kept an eye on the situation, focused in particular where Owen's group was.

* * *

One of the branches across the overgrown path was chopped down by a machete as Nima and Owen walked through the undergrowth. Suddenly, she dropped to one knee and raised a hand as ahead, Blue paused and looked around. Bringing up his gun, Owen looked around. "Where are they..."

Blue hissed a bit as she looked around. "{ _Are Fast-Hunters, Alpha. They here somewhere..._ }" A rustle caused her to hiss as she turned. "{ _They here._ }"

The undergrowth rustled and a shape emerged, though Nima had to look closely to see it. Said Raptor was a bit bigger then Blue, but was mostly black with stripes of dark green and blue that made it hard to see in the shadows. Owen, however, was better able to see it as the creature hissed. "{ _Why you lead Soft-Meat?!_ }"

Hissing back, Blue glanced around. "{ _Is my Alpha!_ }"

While he glanced around, Owen could hear the soft growls and hisses nearby. "Nima... we're surrounded..."

For several moments, Nima frowned as she tightened her grip on her machete. "I'm guessing that you have some way to get out of this?"

That caused Owen to become silent for a little bit before he nodded. "Yeah... though I'm only using it because we have no choice and Jess told me before we left that she trusts you..."

A glance told Nima that Owen was taking his gun off and unhooking various pieces of gear. "What are you doing, you idioto!?"

Owen took a deep breath as he slowly stood up. "Hopefully saving our lives..." He then gave her a grimace. "Whatever you do, don't scream."

Utterly confused, Nima was about to ask when Owen's form seemed to blur and where he had stood was now a Raptor. For what seemed like a minute, the stunned woman stared as around them everything went silent. Meanwhile, the Raptor that was arguing with Blue stared before it glanced at the other Raptor. "{ _Soft-Meat become Runner..._ }"

Spreading his arms, Owen hissed as he took a step forward. "Let us pass, we're looking for my nestmate and will be gone soon. We will not bother you anymore." Looking between both Blue and Owen, the Raptor hissed and tapped it's claws against the ground. A sign that the two recognised as an aggressive posture. Finally, it moved to the side and Owen glanced at Nima. "Grab some of my gear, I'm going to need to stay like this for a bit..."

With a grunt, Nima grabbed what Owen didn't. "You're going to explain what the hell I am seeing..."

All Owen did was nod as they slowly made their way out of the area, keeping an eye on their surroundings along with Blue as the only visible of the hostile pack seemed to melt back into the underbrush. "And I'll explain once we're out of here..."

* * *

Having turned back after they had gotten out of the Raptor pack's territory, Owen explained about the amulet. Once he was done, Nima ran a hand through her greying hair and shook her head in disbelief. "Oh Dios mío, that was what Jess was hinting at. And you..." She turned toward Rexy who just glanced at her. "Are the T-Rex...?"

There was a grin on Rexy's face as she nodded. "Yes, and I remember you."

Even though a slight shiver went up her back, Nima only shook her head. "All those old tales of magic and those able to become animals... I thought that they were all just stories told by old men, but they're true..."

With a slight frown, Owen stopped as they came to the top of a hill and looked over the road below. Following it, he noticed that it slowly went upwards toward a complex. "Yeah... it was rather surprising to me."

Crouching next to him, Nima followed his eyes. "I can see why you would keep it a secret, and why Jess would be interested. Internally cursing her age, she pulled out some binoculars and brought them to her eyes. "No one at the gates that I can see."

Beside them, Rexy grunted. "Foolish."

Owen though shook his head. "No, not foolish at all. If they're smart they'll hole up inside the buildings themselves where they can defend better then open ground..." It was then that he noticed a vehicle pull up to the gate. "Who's that now?"

A frown crossed Nima's face as she watched the brown hair woman get out of the slightly damaged car and look around. When the woman turned and looked in their direction, Nima sighed. "That would be your sister."

His eyes wide, Owen grabbed his own binoculars and looked. "Yeah, that's Grace..."

That caused Blue to perk up a bit. "{ _Is aunt?_ }"

Sighing, Owen closed his eyes a bit. "Yes, she would be your aunt of sorts, Blue... just don't mention it to her." After he let go of the binoculars and hung them around his neck, the Raptor frowned. "Question is... how do we get there quicker?"

For several seconds, Nima was quiet before she smirked. "How fast are you and Blue? And how much can you both carry?"

Silence descended upon the group as both Owen and Blue turned toward Nima and a thoughtful Rexy...

Getting off of Owen's back and letting him transform back as Rexy did the same with Blue, Nima frowned as she looked off to the side and gestured at a leaf. "See that?"

The Raptor trainer took a few steps forward and then looked at the fern in question. "Blood..."

Rexy leaned down and took a sniff of a scratch in the ground. "Smells of Swift-Hunter... but, wrong, different." Her eyes narrowed a bit. "Like Usuper, but not."

Hands gripping the rifle, Owen gestured toward the gate. "Let's just get inside..."

With nods, the group silently moved into the compound following after Owen's sister. Behind them, there was a distortion in the air which resolved into a creature similar to a Raptor, except with a shorter snout and two horns above it's eyes. It stared at where the group had been before it slowly vanished once more.

Meanwhile, Nima stopped at a part of the wall and ran her fingers along scratches in the concrete. "A lot of people died here..."

Sniffing, Blue bobbed her head. "{ _Smell lots of blood._ }" Her head then snapped upwards as did Owen's and Rexy's in time to see something vanish onto a roof. "{ _Was bird?_ }"

His eyes narrowed, Owen shook his head. "No... that was too big to be a bird..." For a moment, he scanned the grounds before he gestured. "Over there, it's the vehicle that Grace was in."

Nima nodded as she crouched, also scanning the area as was Rexy. "There's a building door open next to a loading dock, think she went inside?"

As he shook his head, Owen began to walk over as he continued to watch, Blue beside him. "Knowing her? Yeah, she probably went in..." Once they were in though, he frowned as he ignored a partially eaten body and shone a flashlight onto a map. "Looks like this is one of the lab buildings..."

Reaching up, Nima tapped one room. "There's a couple of rooms labeled HC..."

Even though she couldn't read, Rexy could recognize symbols and pointed at another spot. "Those right here."

With a frown, Owen looked closer and felt a chill. "'Hatchling Containment'... Fuck, we're in the hatchery..."

However, Blue had stopped near a open door. "{ _Daddy, Aunt go through this door, can smell her scent._ }" Opening the door, Blue looked down the hallway with the flickering emergency lighting. "{ _Smell others as well..._ }"

A frown was on Owen's face as he rubbed Blue on the head and nodded. "Great job... let's go get my sister and get out."

The two normal humans scanned the room once more before they slowly walked into the hallway with Blue and were followed by Rexy

* * *

Almost silently the group crept along the corridor, the red emergency lights allowing them to see as they went along. Eventually, they entered a part of the corridor with doors lining each side. Frowning, Owen pushed one open to show what looked like an observation area for an interogation room. The door next to it was also open and he looked in there to see a small room only the size of a average bedroom. Behind him, Nima frowned as she whispered and shook her head. "What is that place?"

Glancing up at the door, Owen barely held back a door. "I think that these were the rooms used for hatchlings..."

That caused Rexy's eyes to narrow as she sniffed. "Smell lots of fear... hate... _anger_..."

Owen could see an examination table attached to one wall and grimaced. "Somehow, I'm not too surprised..." Looking at the door, he tapped it. "Electronic locks, which means they're useless without power."

Her sickle claws tapping the floor, Blue kept an eye out as she listened. Before having become human, she would have only caught so much of the conversation. However, now she was able to fully follow along. "{ _Could be hatchlings around, daddy?_ }"

Wiping his hands on his pants, Owen nodded. "Maybe..." Suddenly, he whipped around and brought his rifle to eye level as he stared down the corridor. 'Was that...'

Beside him, Rexy, Blue, and Nima turned and looked down the room as the older woman narrowed her eyes. "What is it?"

Still scanning the corridor, Owen frowned a bit. "Don't know... thought that I heard something down that way, but..." After a moment, he shook his head and stood up. "Might be nothing..."

For a few minutes, they stood there before they slowly began to continue down the corridor in the way they were heading in. None of them noticed that the air seemed to shift at the end of the corridor. Not long after though, Blue tilted her head. "{ _Hear something..._ }"

It was then that they heard a loud growl and what looked like a baby Tyrannosaurus came into view from behind some crates. Said animal stood at hip height and glared at them. Her eyes narrowed, Rexy growled at it, somehow with the baby Rex understanding her. "Stand down, Little One."

With wide eyes, it growled back. "{ _Is my territory! Me kill you and eat you!_ }"

Then it charged at them as it let loose a slightly squeaky roar. But before any of the others could do anything, Rexy charged it with a roar not unlike her normal one. Not having expected that, the young dinosaur stumbled a bit. That action turned out to be it's downfall as Rexy tackled it and, using experience, bodily lifted it off the ground and tossed it down the corridor. Scrabbling to its feet, it glared at Rexy as it shook it's head. All that did was amuse Rexy who chuckled as she entered the large open space she had tossed the Rex into. Glancing around, she could see an escalator at one end between floors and grinned. 'Big enough...'

Having shaken off its shock and slight pain, the young Rex was about to charge again when Rexy stepped fully into the large space. Then where the human version of herself was, there was suddenly a massive T-Rex staring down at the young one which started to back away. "{ _Y-y-you..._ }"

A rumble came from Rexy as she brought her massive head down. "{ _Yes, I am like you, Little One... am called Rexy._ }" Tilting her head to the side, she ignored the gasp from Nima and the short swear. "{ _What name you have? Parents?_ }"

It took a few moments, but the smaller dinosaur once more shook off it's shock and fear. "{ _Have no name. And what are parents?_ }"

For almost a minute, Rexy was quiet before she grunted. "{ _Will give you name later, you come with me and I take you to where you be safe. Have good territory, lots of food and water. Can teach you much about what you need to know._ }"

Now curious, the smaller Rex nodded and stomped one foot. "{ _Sounds nice... will come and follow. But how become soft-meat?_ }"

Much to it's surprise, that got a growl from Rexy. "{ _Is Not-Prey and will not harm any, unless needing to stop them from harming ones should be protected. But can become one due to Metal-Scale, amulet. May allow you to become one too in time._ }" Transforming back into her human form, Rexy turned to where Owen was. "What?"

Sighing, Owen facepalmed. "Rexy... we're here to rescue my sister, not pick up any dinosaurs..."

With a bullish expression, Rexy growled. "Is young and not have any to take care of her. Will take care of her on island, no need to worry."

Not wanting to get into an argument, Owen shook his head. "Fine... let's get going then and find my sister..."

Blue had ignored the drama and stopped at one of the escalators and looked up it. "{ _Aunt is this way._ }"

Looking behind her to make sure that the young Rex was following, Rexy joined the rest of the group as they ascended the stopped escalator.

* * *

Watching the screen in the main control room, Claire frowned as she noticed that Owen was contacting them over the radio. "Owen, this is Control... did something happen?"

There was a pause for several moments before she could hear a sigh. " _Well, let me put it this way... you'll be having a nice long chat with Roxy once we get back to Nublar._ "

Now that caused her to raise an eyebrow as she glanced to where the map showed the location of Owen and his group on the island as well as the closest ACU teams. "Really now? And what exactly is it that I would need to talk with her about, Owen?"

Once more there was a pause before Owen answered. " _Well... we've picked up something of a tag-along to be honest... one that you should prep Jess and Gerry to take a look at as soon as possible._ "

Her eyes narrowing, Claire gestured for Jess to walk over and once the vet had arrived, Claire gave her a run down. A moment later, Jess took a headset and tuned in. "Owen, Jess here. What exactly did Roxy pick up?"

A few seconds later, Owen snorted a bit. " _We had entered what seems to be the main hatchery for the facility, Jess. Inside, we found a bunch small rooms where they kept said hatchlings... including observation windows and what looks like examination tables built into the wall. Partway through though, we encounted a young Tyrannosaurus... maybe three or so months old at most._ "

Frowning, Jess looked up at the map. "Anything odd about the young Rex?"

Silence for several seconds before Owen's voice came over the line. " _Honestly? Most of it seems to be a muted orange with blue areas on the face and chest in particular the arms. There's also black along it's back with the head almost entirely black with red areas._ "

Jess wracked her mind for a bit before she shook her head. "That seems... an odd coloration. I'll have to look at it closely to make sure, though it could be them having mixed in DNA from other animals for that, like with Blue and your other Raptors." It was then that she remembered something. "Your sister has some kind of guide to the dinosaurs there, right? Might be something in there that we can use to identify it."

Having listened, Claire cleared her throat. "You're clear to bring it back, Owen. But it will be going into quarantine until we know what we're dealing with."

* * *

On the other island, Owen nodded as he continued to scan their surroundings. "Gotcha, I'll let the others know." After a click, Owen shut off the radio before he turned to regard Rexy who watched him. "Okay... Claire says that she has no problem with it. But the kid will be going into quarantine anyways."

There was a grin on Rexy's face as she nodded with a grunt. "Told you that Tall-Daughter would allow it."

Even though part of him wanted to argue, Owen shook it off as they reached the end of the hall and into what looked like the lab. Frowning, Owen glanced around as Nima crouched beside him. "You see anything, Nima?"

For several moments, Nima frowned as she looked around. "No, I don't..." Her eyes then narrowed. "I don't like this though..."

Owen just nodded. "You're not the only one... Blue?"

Walking up, the Raptor took several deep sniffs. "{ _Smell aunt in there... can smell other human smells, but also blood and... something like Swift-Hunters, but also smell like feathered things... birds!_ }"

Unbidden, the memory of seeing something feathered disappear over the roof of the building came to Owen and he grimaced. "I see... stay close everyone, Blue, keep an eye out."

As she frowned, Nima gestured toward one side and Owen nodded before she snuck off, her back just below the height of the tables before she disappeared around a corner. For his part, Owen walked through the aisles with Blue just behind him while Rexy and the young Rex took up the back. They had covered halfway through the room when Blue stiffened and glared at one corner. "{ _Daddy! Smell fear and anger from Aunt! And others!_ }"

Just then, there was a chuckle as the bald headed rogue InGen security contractor walked into view with Grace held in a chokehold with a gun to her head. "Well now, it's been a while hasn't it, Owen?"

Snarling, Owen glanced to the left where another one appeared from where he had been hiding behind a cabinet. "Robert... what an unpleasant surprise..."

While both groups watched each other though, neither noticed the door swing open a little bit more. However, Robert just shrugged off Owen's glare as he looked at Blue and the Rex hatchling. "Well now... looks like we may have gotten something from this after all..."


	22. Chapter 22

Disclaimer: Jurassic World is owned by Universal Pictures

" _Hello?_ " -Phone or radio.

"{ _Alpha!_ }" -Dinosaur language.

* * *

His eyes narrowed in a glare, Owen scowled at Robert as the man kept the gun pointed at Grace's head. "And what, exactly do you have from all this?"

For several moments, Robert smirked at him. "We have you, your friend, and your sister as hostages. We also have what seems like a trained Raptor as well as the Omega T-Rex..."

It was then that Owen realized that neither Robert nor his backup realized that Nima was there. 'Got to keep them talking for a bit...' Still glaring, Owen grunted. "I don't know about that seeing as we out number you."

Robert only chuckled a bit. "That is true, you do outnumber us. However... there's tables between us that you would need to get around before you can reach me. During which time I can kill your sister and probably kill your little pet... now, are you going to cooperate?" Without moving the gun pointed at Grace's head, Robert tilted his head a bit. "Now then, just a foot forward down the row there is a drawer. The scientists keep a group of tranqs in there that I want you to use on both the Raptor and Rex. And please... don't take your time."

Making his way toward the drawer, Owen kept an eye on the gun pointed at his sister's head. "So... mind telling me what all this is about? Because I doubt that the US military would have paid for all this..."

With a snort, Robert shook his head. "You're right, the US military wouldn't. But then they never took the Raptor program seriously." Seeing the look on Owen's face, Robert shook his head. "Come now, you were in the Navy's dolphin training program. How many times have they tried that? Or sea lions? Then you have the CIA training ravens and other birds to spy on places in the Warsaw Pact during the Cold War. Or the US Military attempting to use bats with incendiary devices strapped to them to try and set Japanese cities on fire."

Now it was Owen's turn to smirk. "And if I remember correctly, some of those bats escaped with the devices armed before they rooster under a fuel tank on a US airbase where the project was going on."

There was a glare on Robert's face before he grunted. "A setback... But such projects are never used by the US military. They're just money sinks in their view." He watched as Owen opened the drawer. "However, there are those out there who would be interested-" Suddenly, a screech and shout from close to Robert caused him to twist with Grace as other shouts were heard. "What in the hell?!"

Everything then began to move quickly. Grace's fist swung down into Robert's crotch as her head shot back and nailed him in the face causing him to release her. At the same time, Nima leapt from her place of concealment and tackled the other man to the ground. Robert snarled and aimed his gun at Grace as the woman dived behind a table, the bullet ricocheting off in a burst of sparks before he heard a shout and turned. For a brief moment, he saw a brown Raptor leap off a table toward him before he blinked and instead it was Owen. "YOU'RE MINE!"

Both men went down in a tangle of limbs before Owen knocked the gun out of Robert's hands. Having separated from each other, Robert spat out some blood and a tooth before he pulled out a knife. "So it seems that you haven't let yourself go after all..."

With a slight smirk, Owen shifted his stance a little. "Once a SEAL, always a SEAL."

As Nima and the other man fought, Owen and Robert circled each other before finally Robert lunged, only for Owen to duck under the arm and grab it before twisting. Then he brought his knee up to break the elbow, however, Robert dropped the knife and broke out of the hold. Deflecting a punch, Owen growled. Meanwhile, Blue kept an eye on the fight ready to rush in, though there was a sparkle in her eyes as she observed Owen fighting. "{ _Daddy is really good..._ }"

Grunting, Rexy glanced to where Nima was holding her own against the younger man with ease. "Yes, he's quite good at fighting."

Just then, Owen dodged around another blow before he got behind Robert and wrapped one arm around his neck. Then he grabbed the top of the struggling Robert's head with his other hand and twisted, the sound of something snapping before the rogue InGen soldier went limp. Moments later, Nima walked toward him sheathing her knife. "Not bad for someone who hasn't been in the service for a while."

Snorting, Owen rotated his shoulder as he walked over to his sister and helped her to her feet. "I keep in practice unlike some." Once his sister was on her feet, he looked Grace over. "You okay there?"

Grace looked at him before she punched him in the shoulder. "What the hell do you think?"

That only caused Owen to grin at her. "Yeah, you're okay..." He then looked toward the direction of an open door with a frown. "Now to see where that scream came from..."

Slowly, Owen and Blue walked to the open door at the end of the lab and looked through it to blink. What at first looked like a Raptor backed off from where it had stood on top of a third man, his neck savaged. Leaned up where he died was a fourth man, his stomach slashed open. It was then that Owen realized that the "Raptor" had shorter, more rounded muzzle with two horns. Much to Owen's and Blue's surprise, though, it bent forward with head close to the ground in an obvious submissive posture. "{ _I kill hidden bad Soft... Not-Prey before they ambush. I prove self so can become part of new pack._ }"

Both Owen and Blue just stared before Grace could be heard behind them. "What in God's name...?"

Crossing her arms, Nima frowned as she looked over the bodies. "At least we know why the Hijo de Puta was so confident... He had backup out of sight."

Meanwhile, Owen gave a glance toward his sister who stared back at him. "Why... is that Raptor being submissive to you and..." After giving a glance to Blue, she went over the fight and her eyes widened. "... Did I actually see you become a Raptor and jump the guy?!"

With a sigh, Owen ran his hand through his hair and then shook his head. "I'll explain later... just keep an eye out." Turning back to the Carnoraptor, he noticed that it had not moved from it's submissive position, lower jaw touching the floor. Part of him noted that it wasn't an adult and frowned. "So where's your pack, little one?"

It seemed to flinch before it took a breath. "{ _Have no pack... saw you and Running-Claw and can smell others on both, but noticed that you also have Big-One with you. Then picked up little Big-One... know have pack, wish to join pack!_ }" Once more flinching, it tried to lower itself even further. "{ _Know will be lowest in pack, but do not mind as would be pack... Will do anything told!_ }"

Running a hand across his face, Owen sighed. But it was Blue who spoke up, her head tilted to the side. "{ _But why attack threat? Could have hid?_ }"

The Carnoraptor blinked and looked up at the two. "{ _Why attack? Was threat to you, so stopped them to prove that can be part of pack and protect pack._ }"

As he frowned and crossed his arms, Owen turned toward Blue. "Well, what do you think, Blue?"

It took several seconds, but Blue moved forward and slowly circled the smaller Carnoraptor. The whole time, she sniffed it and once she was done two circles, stopped in her original spot. Despite herself, part of Blue was impressed as the Carnoraptor had stayed perfectly still. "{ _Do not know yet, daddy. Might make good packmate, but don't want to chose right away..._ }" Her eyes darkened a bit as she drifted back into her memories. "{ _Remember taking White-One at word and letting join pack... and remember betrayal._ }"

Noticing that the Carnoraptor was shivering, Owen frowned. 'It's a hybrid and with a dinosaur that's infamous for being aggressive. Claire would also kill me for bringing it without being extremely sure that it wouldn't attack... _but_...' He looked deep into the Carnoraptor's eyes and could both see fear and hopefulness in it's eyes as well as smell those emotions. 'But the Indominus was that was because of how it was treated. And if I _don't_ bring it with us, then it'll likely die and definitely won't trust us if we show up again...' After a moment, a idea occurred to him and Owen turned toward his sister. "Did Robert mention anything about how he was going to get us out of here?"

Slightly confused as she kept looking between her brother and the two dinosaurs, Grace shrugged. "Told one of them to make sure that the helicopter up top was undamaged. Something about how the pilot was dead, but it was in good enough shape and now they wouldn't need to worry about the scientists."

With a glance down the corridor, Owen could just barely see a arm in a bloodstained lab coat sleeve sticking out from under the stairwell. "I see..." For a few moments, he watched the Carnoraptor and nodded. "If you want to come with us, then I need proof that you won't try and kill us... I need a show of trust from you."

Perking up, the Carnoraptor chirped. "{ _Will do whatever asked! Will show trust!_ }"

That caused Owen to nod before he turned to Nima. "Go get the tranqs and bring them here... Any rope too. Gracy, you got anything to record?"

Snorting, she reached to her belt and pulled off what at first looked like an iPhone, but with a much smaller screen and more bulky. "I have no idea how I managed to keep this on me, but I got my video camera... why?"

When Nima returned, the Carnoraptor whimpered a bit. "{ _Bad-Sting! Why you need Bad-Sting that makes Bad-Sleep happen?! Don't want Bad-Sleep with sharp things!_ }"

Clearing his throat, Owen took a deep breath. "I'm going to give you just a little bit once we're in the helicopter to make the flight easier for you... But I'm going to tie you up so you can't hurt anyone, okay?" Some whines came from the Carnoraptor, but it gave a head bob and Owen gestured for his sister to record. Walking forward, he first tied it's forelimbs together so it couldn't swipe and then did the same to the legs so it could walk, but not run or jump. Finally, he wrapped some of the rope around the Carnoraptor's jaws as he made comforting sounds. "There we go... there we go, gentle now..."

Nima squeezed by with her shotgun held at ready. "I'll scout ahead as you guys come up from behind..."

And with that, she was gone and Owen waited a few seconds as she ascended the stairs. Then he nodded and stroked the Carnoraptor's snout. "Okay... follow me."

* * *

Reaching the dock, James Murphy snarled as he leapt from the vehicle and rushed over to the cargo vessel tied up. Seeing him, the captain looked around. "Anyone else?"

Murphy then got onto the ship and grunted. "No, the others are on the go fast boats we've procured..." Internally, he finished the thought. 'And drawing off anyone outside the caves waiting.' Getting into the wheelhouse, he glared at the captain. "Now get us out of here!"

The captain frowned a bit and looked to where he could just see a dot of a helicopter. "But what about-"

He was then grabbed by Murphy who glared at him. "We're evacuating the island. Unless you want to get eaten... or arrested, then I would advise you to get us the hell out of here, _now_."

Once he was let go, the captain shouted some words to his crew and the small ship began to pull away from the dock without any more questions. He had learned long ago not to ask questions, especially with what they did on the island. Not with the amount of money they gave him after all. There was also the fact that those who tried to pry too much usually had accidents. Biosyn did try to keep it's secrets just that.

As the ship began to move, he saw a black shape dart into the door of the container hold before he shook his head. 'Rats... hopefully they do not get into the food. It should still fetch a good price once we reach port.' His mind now thinking of who to contact, the captain gave it no further thought except to get one of the crew to go down and kill any they saw.

* * *

Upon having reached the stairs, the group slowly climbed them, though Grace kept from looking at the mutilated body barely stuffed under them. Meanwhile, Owen crouched down and grabbed a large feather which caused Rexy to raise an eyebrow at him. "What is it?"

He looked back at the Carnoraptor who blinked and then tilted it's head at Blue a few times. That and the bloodsplatter as well as the wounds from the brief glance of the body he took told Owen everything he needed to know. "I think that it was another Raptor breed..."

Behind him, Grace took out the book and flipped through it. "Feathered Raptors... ah! Here we go, Velocirapteryx... Oh."

That caused Owen to turn back to her. "Oh?"

Nodding, Grace took a deep breath. "According to this, they created a breed of Raptor using DNA from Archeopteryx. They're able to fly short distances..."

Interally, Owen cursed. 'Flying Raptors... that's just our fucking luck...' Reaching the open door, he glanced at Nima who crawled back across the roof. "Well?"

After a moment, she shook her head. "Helicopter's empty except for a bloodstain in the pilot's seat, pretty dry now though. Other then that... can't see anything."

Still at the open door, Owen stared out at the roof and felt a shiver. "I don't like this... I don't like this at all..." Frowning, he glanced at her. "Can you pilot?"

In reply, Nima only snorted. "What do you think?"

With a smirk, she once more rushed across the roof, keeping an eye on things. Once she reached the helicopter, Owen jerked his head at it. "Okay... Rexy, you and the kid get over there." Rexy grunted before she rushed over and pushed the young Rex into the copter. Taking a breath, Owen turned toward Blue. "Gracy? You and Blue go now, I'll cover you until you get there."

Looking out at the roof, Grace then looked at Blue who was watching her intently. "Owe..."

However, Owen only shook his head. "Trust me... get out there, now." With a final shove, Grace ran across the rooftop to the helicopter as it started up and stopped as she waited for Owen. Giving her a wave, he looked toward the Carnoraptor who stared at the helicopter. "Come on..." Even though trembles went through the dinosaur, it bobbed it's head and moved as fast as it could with tied legs as Owen kept pace beside it...

And seconds before something slammed into him, Owen heard a loud screech. Shaking it off, Owen twisted around and his eyes widened at the sight of a feathered Raptor the size of Blue. Then he realized that it had pinned down the Carnoraptor and leapt to his feet before tacking it off. Before the Velocirapteryx could get to it's feet, it's head vanished in a explosion of bone and blood. Out of the corner of his eye, Owen could see that his sister eject the spent casing from Nima's shotgun as she aimed at another one of the mutant Raptors, blowing a hole through it's chest. "OWE! MOVE YOUR ASS!"

Not needing a second shout, Owen reached down and grabbed the Carnoraptor much to it's surprise before he ran across the roof. 'He... he bringing me!?'

Gently tossing it into the copter's hold, Owen tapped his sister's side and she jumped in as he took out another feathered Raptor. Then he sat down as Nima began to lift off, still shooting to keep any of them from getting to the helicopter as it pulled away from the roof. Once they were far enough away, Owen fully entered the crowded helicopter bay before he slammed the door shut. After a few moments, he turned toward his sister and gave a snort. "Nice surprise visit, Gracy."

With a glare shot at him, Grace grunted. "Fuck off, Owe..." She then glanced at the still bound up Carnoraptor. "So... why did you need the video?"

It was then that Owen remembered that he needed to tell Claire about the two dinosaurs and groaned with a single word summing up his feelings "Fuck..."

* * *

Having told the captain to keep the lights to a minimum to make sure that they could pass without notice, James Murphy grunted as he walked toward his cabin when he heard a groan. "He-help..." After he blinked, Murphy was about to just ignore it when the groan came again. "H-he-help me... please..."

With a scowl, he turned around and walked towards the Mess. Entering the darkened room, he pulled out a flashlight and shone it around. "What did you do, drop a pot or something on your foot?"

Then the groan once more echoed through the room. "Asshole..."

Now enraged, he snarled and stomped across the room. "The fuck did you just say to me?! I'll have your hide!" Suddenly, a shape flapped out of the shadows and nearly hit him in the head if he had not ducked. "Who the hell let a bird in here!?"

Suddenly, he could hear a hiss and stilled as two bright spots appeared in one corner. Then another pair in a different spot. He remembered three things at that moment as he slowly turned as more pairs of glowing spots appeared. One was that years ago, he had made sure that one of his teams on Nublar had brought back a Troodon body, from which they recovered DNA. Another was that to test out the Velocirapteryx, they had mixed the DNA with genetics from birds, in particular parakeets. Said creations were, if anything, more intelligent and vicious then the original Troodons.

Turning, his the dim light from his flashlight hitting the floor revealed a feathered Troodon on one of the tables as it stared at him before he remembered the final bit as it opened it's mouth and leapt at him, a human-like voice coming from it. "Mother of God."

Parakeets were one of the birds that could mimic human voices.

Soon after, the screams on the ship started and were soon stopped...

* * *

Claire was rubbing her face out of tiredness when Jess walked in and sat down. Giving her a tired smile, Claire fought back a yawn. "Jess."

With a raised eyebrow, Jess frowned slightly at her friend. "You okay, Claire? You look beat..."

Yawning, Claire shook her head. "Bad night..."

There was a knowing look on Jess' face as she nodded. "Yeah, all the stress from what happened, not to mention you having Owen sleep out on the balcony since you don't have a doghouse..." Seeing the look, she snorted. "Visited Charlie today to check how her leg's coming along and overheard Rexy and Blue talking..."

Once more rubbing her face, Claire sighed. "I know, I know... but I was angry last night when he showed up with not one, but two dinosaurs... one of which is a hybrid and he _knows_ how I feel about them."

All Jess did was nod a bit before she brought out a bunch of papers. "Understandable... speaking of, I got my and dad's reports here for you on them."

Taking them, Claire began to look through them. "I see..."

Jess then cleared her throat and began. "The first one would be the Tyrannosaurus. We haven't given her a name because Rexy wants to be the one to do so. But... we did examine the guidebook that Grace got her hands on and it's quite interesting..." Knowing that she had Claire's interest, Jess continued. "They called it the 'Omega Tyrannosaurus Rex'. Best translation would be either 'Last Tyrant Lizard King' or "O Great Tyrant Lizard King'. But going by what it says, and some of the files that the ACU recovered, Biosyn basically took the T-Rex genome and fine tuned it."

Now that caused Claire to look up. "Fine tuned it? How?"

Getting up, Jess walked over to the coffee machine and poured herself a cup. "Well, for one thing they fine tuned it to make it bigger and heavier then a T-Rex. Maybe a form of Tyrannosaur gigantism, which means that we should keep an eye out for any health issues. Besides that though, they boosted it's sense of smell, strength, and got rid of eyesight issues such as movement based hunting... so even standing still won't save you. Whatever they did though, and we're _still_ waiting on InGen via Tim to see what differences there are between the Omega T-Rex's genome and baseline Tyrannosaur DNA, it boosted it's aggressiveness. I would say that we're talking about a dinosaur that might be the most aggressive in the park."

For several moments, Claire rubbed her eyebrows before she sighed. "We'll let Rexy handle that situation... I have my doubts that she won't have whipped the young one into some shape by the time it's fully grown. And she already told me that if needed, I can help." She didn't see the amusement on Jess' face before it disappeared as she turned back to the vet. "What about the Carnoraptor...?"

With a slight frown, Jess sat back down and leaned back as she sipped her coffee. "Now that one is rather interesting... We've examined it, and before you ask... it is an it as the dinosaur seems to be midway between a gender change of some sort." Seeing the wide eyes, Jess shrugged. "We keep the ones in the park currently from changing gender via specialty drugs in the food. Masrani did have an agreement with Hammond that if the new park ever went down, the fences and such would be designed to let them out after a certain period of time and with the ability to populate the island."

Leaning back in her own chair, Claire thought back as she remembered that. "That's right... he wanted them to find their own way and not starve to death..." Shaking it off, she frowned. "So we don't know what gender it might be yet?"

The vet only shook her head. "Not yet. It might be changing into a male or might be changing into a female, we got no way of knowing. You might want to talk to Owen though..." Seeing the look on Claire's face, Jess grinned. "He wants to call it 'Foxtrot'."

A laugh burst from Jess as Claire scowled and rubbed the side of her head. "Of course he does... he's not imaginative with names at all."

While she tried to hide her amusement, Jess sipped at her coffee. "Might want to be careful then when you decide to have kids." Barely hiding back a smirk at the slight redness in Claire's cheeks, Jess turned back to her report. "Anyways... besides that, we've determined that the Carnoraptor, like the Carnotaurus on Sorna, can camoflague itself. However, it's not nearly aggressive as the Carnotaurus or even Raptors... if I had to say, it's almost like... an abused animal."

Knowing that Jess had a sour taste in her mouth, Claire gave it a few moments before she frowned. "How old is it? Owen thought that it was young but..."

Her eyebrows furrowed, Jess shook her head. "That's the thing, going by the files we have on the Raptors, it's probably eight months old currently. Not that old, but enough to be lethal... We'll keep it under watch for now though for behavior, but I don't think it'll ever be that aggressive unless someone threatens it's 'Pack'. Just the same though, dad's running some tests and keeping an eye on it..."

Claire slowly nodded as she leaned back and looked at the report on the screen. "That said, I'll have to talk with the acting head of the ACU later..." Seeing the look, she shook her head. "They're not happy with a hybrid on the island, and they've recovered a number of embryos that were stolen during the... recent incident. We're not sure about the eggs, but we're keeping an eye out for them..."

* * *

Gerry heard the door open and looked up from his computer in time to see Owen practically slump into a chair. "Bad morning?"

Rubbing his face, Owen groaned. "That's putting it mildly... I barely slept all night and then made the mistake of thinking that being made to sleep on the porch would be all my punishment... But it wasn't and it's not even noon and I want a drink."

There was a grin on Gerry's face as he walked over to his coffee machine. "Well, I'm afraid that I make it a strict ban on alcohol around here, but I do have some Black Blood of the Earth if you want some..."

Now that caused Owen to perk up a bit. "I'll take that... Though should you really be drinking that stuff at your age?"

Unamused, Gerry raised an eyebrow. "I can always retract the offer..."

Almost immediately, Owen held his hands up. "Whoa there! Let's not talk crazy now, I'm sorry..."

Grinning, the vet poured some into two cups and handed Owen one. "Now then... If you want to make it up and get at least another cup, you could start by indulging an old man's curiosity and telling him what Claire did for revenge." At Owen's look, Gerry snorted. "Miss Dearing is well known for being rather..."

Owen interrupted him. "Sadistic?"

With a shake of his head, Gerry smirked. " _Inventive_ when she wants to get back at someone. It's one of the reasons why most avoid her ire if they're intelligent."

Even though he knew that he was just insulted, Owen snorted. "I don't know how she managed it... But Claire somehow managed to get me trapped in a meeting with marketing in regards to merchandise based on the girls... Do you have any ideas what those guys are like?"

At that, even Gerry had to wince. "I have an idea..." Seeing Owen's raised eyebrow, he shrugged. "Before you joined, some of them got this idea to do a toyline which would have had Jess and myself along with some others as action figures... If I remember correctly, Grant was rather pissed at the idea." After a moment, he frowned. "Though Jess sent her mother one of her prototype figures just to get under her skin."

Snorting, Owen shook his head. "I don't know why, but somehow I'm not surprised to hear that..."

If anything, Gerry's grin grew. "You shouldn't be... Though Sarah's reaction to an action figure of herself that Jess pulled out was rather hilarious..."

Once he drained his cup, Owen rolled his eyes. "If it was only action figures... But there were Lego ones, stuffed toy versions, books, some kind of _video game_ where you played as them going out on missions with me giving said missions..." He then began to count off on his fingers. "Shirts, sweaters, coats, _belts_ for some reason..."

Slowly, Gerry nodded. "I _did_ see Lowery with what could have been one of those shirts earlier today now that you mention it..." At Owen's frown, he shrugged. "They had Blue and Rexy on it with those blue security hats... you know, the ones with the black, shiny bill and the badge on them? On one open spot near the top it had 'Blue and Rexy'. Then you had the bottom where there were these olive branches coming from a banner that read 'Park Security'."

Utter silence came from the Raptor trainer before he pinched his nose. "I'll have to have a talk with Lowery later..."

Hiding his grin, Gerry sipped his coffee. 'That should teach Lowery for putting a cane in my office...'

Just then though, Owen continued. "The worst though were the costumes and these... head... glove... _things_."

That caused the vet to blink for a moment. 'He can't mean...'

Almost as if he had heard Gerry, Owen held out one hand. "They had these... things that looked like Blue's and the others' heads which fit over a kid's hand like a glove. And then they could move the mouth and so on... and the costumes... Now those are creepy." Tapping his chest, he continued. "They had one costume for people who want to dress up as _me_ and these rubber full head masks that look like the girls and gloves to look like their claws..." A shudder ran through Owen before he hung his head. "And then four of the marketing guys decided they needed to _demonstrate_ how it would work..."

Finishing his coffee, Gerry threw the cup into the garbage. "I'll have to greet Claire as an equal it seems..." Gerry pretended that he could not see Owen's expression as the vet shook his head and crossed his arms. "Only a true master would know how to show their ire in such a way..."

Owen really only had one response which caused Gerry to laugh.


	23. Chapter 23

Disclaimer: Jurassic World is owned by Universal Pictures

" _Hello?_ " -Phone or radio.

"{ _Alpha!_ }" -Dinosaur language.

* * *

While salt spray was being kicked up as the RHIB skimmed along the surface of the sea, Rexy turned to Claire beside her who was simply on her tablet. "Claire, where we going?"

Claire glanced just in front of her where Blue, also in her human form, turned toward them. With a soft smile, she pointed toward what looked like an approaching island. "See there?" At their nods, she continued. "That would be Isla Rojo, named for the red volcanic rock. It's four kilometers southwest of Nublar and where we farm the animals for the carnivores on the island."

Those words caused Blue to perk up a bit, even as they hit a wave that caused the boat to shudder. "Prey come from there? Like... Pink-Prey, pigs?"

Nodding, Claire put her tablet away as she looked toward the wheelhouse, certain that the pilot couldn't hear over the sound of the wind and the waves smacking into the boat. "Yes, we have a pig farm on the island along with goats." It was Rexy's turn to perk up a bit. "It was uninhabited after an eruption in 1983. So we built a farm for livestock there as well as various crops for the herbivores and a small amount of produce for guests."

Confused, Rexy blinked a bit even as the wind blew loose strands of hair behind her. "Pro... duce?"

Softly, Claire nodded. "Plants that humans eat. We grow some there as it's a bit cheaper to ship to the island such as the ginger we use for Hammond's Jurassic Ice Cream the hotel sells. It's made on the island and a big hit with guests." Another look showed her that they were coming close to the breakwater that protected the small harbour. "I'll admit while I do need to inspect the facilities on the island, there is more to it then that."

Now curious, Blue tilted her head some. "What else to see?"

Grinning, Claire waved an arm around. "I have always enjoyed going on speedboats and taking out the new RHIBs for a test drive is a bit of reward for me."

Both dinosaurs shared a look before they shrugged and sat back to enjoy the ride as they passed the breakwater. Soon after, Blue and Rexy climbed out of the boat as Claire greeted the man that met them at the jetty. With a smile, she gestured at the two dinosaurs "Jeffrey, this is Roxanne Regina, a cousin of mine." As he shook Rexy's hand, Claire gestured at Blue. "And this is Blair Grady, Owen's daughter."

Surprised a bit, he soon smiled. "Nice to meet you both." Turning toward Claire, he tilted his head toward a Jurassic World vehicle. Once they were all in and the vehicle began to head toward a cluster of buildings, Jeffery turned toward Claire. "I got your memo regarding raising some cattle here for Rexy. Is there something wrong with the goats?"

As Rexy leaned forward some, Claire chuckled. "Nothing of the sort, Jeffery. You and your farm has done a bang up job of keeping Rexy supplied with food. It was just pointed out to me a little while ago though that perhaps Rexy might use some variety in her diet. I imagine that having goats all the time might get a bit boring for her."

Relaxed, Jeffery let out a sigh before he suddenly chuckled. "And I'm guessing that some cattle from time to time might be good for the old girl." He didn't notice Rexy's narrowed eyes or Blue's gleeful expression. "Might even not be 'soft' enough to get Gerry on our case." Tapping his steering wheel in thought, he glanced at Claire with a slight frown. "If I could make a suggestion though?"

Leaning back, Claire just nodded. "I'm always more then willing to listen to suggestions."

Jeffery cleared his throat a bit before he nodded. "You know that company up in Canada? The ones who cloned some recently extinct animals to use as livestock?" Slowly, Claire nodded already having guessed where this might be going. "One of their animals is an elephant bird. They tweaked the genes so it lays eggs more often like chickens, but is also fast growing. Did some research and the FDA and others allow for human consumption so..."

A few moments passed as Claire tapped her fingers on the dashboard before she frowned. "We could use the eggs for cooking... I'll think about it." She glanced into the mirror to check on Rexy and Blue, only to see them looking out the window. "They've also cloned some kind of giant, flightless duck for tropical climates, didn't they?"

With a slight smile, Jeffery continued to drive, not having noticed both Rexy and Blue looking at the various farm buildings. "The moa-nalo? Yeah, they recreated them from some preserved bones in sand dunes. Those suckers grow up to the size of a turkey easily. If we got some, we could raise and breed them here easy since they're plant eaters and adapted for the tropics."

Giving him a nod, she let out a sigh. "Send me a report on it and I'll give it some serious thought. With both Sunset and the Dilophosaurs, we could use them for feeding. The chickens we can use for the Dilong and Jenkins' Compsognathus."

It was then that Rexy spoke up and pointed toward a low roofed building nearby. "What there?"

His eyebrow raised, Jeffery glanced in that direction and nodded. "That, Miss Regina, is where we raise the great whites we feed to Lilly, the Mosasaur. We produce them here on the island and ship to Nublar where she gets fed on them. The smaller building is where we're building a crayfish farm for the Placodonts..."

* * *

The vehicle came to a stop near a group of palm-like trees and Jeffery got out followed by Claire. Of course, soon Rexy and Blue also got out and walked over to the stand where Jeffery was rubbing his hands. "Now this is one of the things that I wanted to show you!"

Slowly raising an eyebrow, Claire looked around the stand with a frown. "Unless I'm mistaken... these are trees that we have in the botanical gardens, correct?"

Nodding, Jeffery crossed his arms across his chest as he looked up. "Yeah, _Spinifructus antiquuas_ from the Hell Creek Formation in Montana, a Late Cretaceous plant. Some of the boys have taken to calling them Ceratops Palms... anyways, when the fruits were first found, they thought that they were figs. But years ago we found out that they're actually a palm like plant."

With a slight frown, Claire cleared her throat. "I see..." Out of the corner of her eye, she spied Blue wander off. "Don't go too far, Blair! You neither, Roxy!"

Jeffery glanced at them heading toward a group of chickens as Blue waved Claire off before he turned back. "Anyways... the fruits themselves are edible and pretty good. Marketing thinks that they can be sold in the park."

Thinking it over, Claire eventually nodded some. "That's... a distinct possibility. Though most likely they would be quite expensive I would imagine..." It was then that she spotted someone near the top of one of the trees with a container of some sort. "Is he collecting fruit?"

As he blinked, Jeffery glanced at the man and then winced a bit. "Ah... not quite..."

The fact that the man had a blade caused Claire to narrow her eyes and turn toward Jeffery. "What do you mean, not quite..."

While he rubbed the back of his neck, Jeffery coughed a bit. "Well, you see... we've basically been asked to examine any edible plants that have been de-extinctified. Which means that we're given quite some leeway and..." Coughing into his fist, he grimaced as he noted that Claire's eyebrow was still raised. "Some of the boys have been to Southeast Asia and remembered some things about the palms there..."

Not amused with not being given answers, Claire narrowed her eyes and softly growled. "What did they remember about palms there?"

Sighing, Jeffery looked distinctly uncomfortable. "Well, we've been able to tap the trees for sap, and necter from young flowers. From that, we get a rather sweet liquid that's consumable for humans... and is rather susceptible to natural fermentation at ambiant temperatures into a form of palm wine."

For almost a minute, Claire stared at him before she sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose as she felt a headache come on. "Allow me to try and understand this... unless I am greatly mistaken, in the project here to see what mesozoic plants are edible for humans, your team... went and used sap from a plant which has not existed on this plant for tens of millions of years to create a alcoholic beverage. Is that correct."

Coughing, Jeffery slowly nodded. "Well... yes."

After a moment, Claire let out a breath. "Just... how potent are we talking about here..."

Once more with a grimace, Jeffery hissed. "Normally it starts off at 4 percent alcohol after just a few hours... with some work, we get it up to about 45 percent, or 90 proof... Once we got it up to about 160 Proof, or around 80 percent..." Seeing the expression on Claire's face, he held up his hands. "We always made damn sure it was safe though, and only made it in small amounts to test different processes."

Letting out a slow breath, Claire grit her teeth. 'Just have a talk with security on the island and...' Her thoughts trailed off as she realized something. "There's a number of fruits from the Mesozoic here, how many..." At the smell of nervousness, Claire bit back a growl. "You know what, I don't want to know right now, but we _will_ be having a chat about proper procedures..."

Before she could get any further though, a shout from Blue caught their attention. "FUCKING SHITTY, EGG SUCKING, CLOACA LICKING LITTLE FUCKS!"

The two shared a look and turned only to see Rexy laughing as some of the chickens chased Blue around, trying to peck her. "Now you know how I feel with ones like you!"

Glaring, Blue turned until she was heading for Rexy whose eyes widened at the sight of the angry chickens which were now coming toward her. "LET'S SEE HOW YOU LIKE IT, FUCKER!"

Slowly, Claire groaned as Rexy ran for the vehicle. "Oh for..." A glance showed her Rexy literally leaping over the hood of the vehicle as Jeffery whistled, Blue also following. 'Though I guess I should be thankful that neither are transforming.'

* * *

It was a tired Owen who left his bike and began to walk up toward the bungalow to see Barry outside with a grin. "Claire's punishment really took it out of you, huh?"

Giving him a glare, Owen just grunted. "I'm making a note not to piss her off like that in the future... I fucking hate meetings." All that got was a laugh from Barry which caused Owen to roll his eyes. "So, how were the girls?"

Barry only shrugged as he patted Owen on the shoulder. "Blue was all excited and telling her sisters, from what Rexy said, about their new, ah, sibling... And Rexy was also telling them about her new hatchling."

For a moment Owen just stared at him before he facepalmed. "I told them her that it was up in the air about it." The raised eyebrow caused Owen to shrug. "No one seems to know what gender the carnoraptor is. Best that they can figure out is that its between genders right now so might go any direction."

His eyebrow raising a bit more, Barry hummed. "Wierd... what about Jenkins? You said that you were going to go and have another 'Surprise Inspection'."

Snorting, Owen only shook his head. "I was iffy about it, but I have to admit that he's doing a pretty damn good job in regards to his Compy... Flock? Squad?" Shrugging, Owen only shook his head. "He was teaching a few of them some tricks when I showed up."

Now that caught Barry's interest. "Oh?"

With a nod and a glance down the road, Owen frowned. "Yeah... kind of simple stuff like how to balance on balls... to go up a ramp and down a slide. That sort of thing. Apparently they want to know if he can make an attraction of them that way besides the ones trained to keep an eye out for people."

Once more, Barry slowly shrugged. "Anyways... I'll leave you to the rest." At Owen's confused expression, he grinned. "You're sister awaits."

Facepalming, Owen just sighed. "Right... of course I forgot about that..." Saying a goodbye to Barry, Owen walked in and called out. "Gracy? You here?"

He was met with his sister walking down the stairs with a glare on her face and arms crossed. "No... I'm in the Twilight Zone. Now are you _finally_ going to explain?"

As he winced, the raptor trainer hissed. 'Yeah... she's pissed.' Clearing his throat, he gestured at the kitchen. "Let's... go and talk then." Grace followed him, the two passing the raptor's room where Blue and Rexy were wrestling for some reason on the floor, the transformed tyrannosaur winning. Once they reached the kitchen, Owen continued over to the fridge as he ignored the grunts and curses from nearby and grabbed two beers. One of which he gave to his sister. "So... I got a lot to explain, huh?"

Opening her beer, Grace took a deep drink before she set it down. "Damn right. What the hell is going on here Owen Johnson Grady!? One of your raptors apparently able to turn into a human?! Her calling you 'Daddy'!? Not to mention that you can turn into a raptor as well from what I saw back in the lab!"

There was a wince at his full name as well as his sister's tone before Owen took a sip of his own beer. "Do you remember Grandpa telling those tales about his amulet?"

With a snort, Grace shook her head. "You mean the one that he would fill with the blood of the animal he was training before he wore it and took the animal into the woods for about a week? That he said gave him an understanding of said animal..." She trailed off as a thought occurred to her at the same time she remembered that Owen had inherited it. "Oh, fuck... it wasn't just some crazy old man bullshitting us, was it?"

Shaking his head, Owen snorted. "Nope! Turns out that putting blood into it and wearing it transforms you into the type of animal that the blood belonged to. Even gives you the ability to understand them as well. You're stuck as them for a week, and afterward you can transform back and forth at will."

For almost a minute, Grace stared at him before she blinked. "So... wait, that means that Blue..."

Owen nodded a bit. "Little shit came into my room with the amulet while I was sleeping, gave me a small cut before filling the amulet. Hid it on her for the entire day and the day after, Claire and me woke up with a naked teenaged girl bouncing on my bed."

That caused Grace to laugh. "Bet that you got an eye full then."

Grimacing, Owen. much to his sister's surprise, gave her a look of disgust. "Fucking hell, Grace, that's sick. Blue and her sisters were already like my daughters, her wearing the amulet made it practically true."

Slowly, Grace's eyebrows rose as she considered his words. "You mean..."

While he rubbed his face, Owen nodded. "According to the blood tests I had Jess run, it seems that when she's human that Blue _is_ my biological daughter... and most likely her sisters once they use the amulet will be as well."

It was then that Grace grinned. "Mom will be happy." At Owen's confusion, she just chortled. "She's wanted grandbabies from you for a while now since Sierra had hers. Grant you, she probably didn't expect you to be both their mother and father in this case, but... I doubt that she'll mind much."

Several moments passed as Owen stared at her before he let his head impact the table. "Fuck my life..."

At the loud laughter, Blue poked her head out of the raptors' room and blinked at the sight of Grace nearly falling out of her chair from laughter. 'Daddy's nestmate is wierd...' Suddenly, she choked as a muscular arm wrapped around her throat as Rexy yanked her back into the room. "Urk!"

With a growl, Rexy glared at her as she easily held the struggling raptor turned human. "Give... back... remote..."

* * *

Ami and Sunset were sleeping in the humid heat of a Nublar late afternoon, the smaller ceratosaurus on Ami's back. Suddenly though, Sunset opened one eye and turned to look in a direction with a grin. "{ _Is Pokey-Jess!_ }"

Blinking away sleep from her eyes, Ami yawned as she noted that Jess had pulled up in the dune buggy she now had to use. Granted, Ami did enjoy her grumbles about it to an extent. "Hey there, Jess."

There was a smile on Jess' face as she lifted a burlap bag off the back of the buggy and walked toward them. "Have a nice nap, I take it?"

While she watched Sunset almost roll off her back, Ami nodded. "Pretty good one all told." Once Sunset was off her, Ami slowly got up and shook herself before snapping her jaws. "It's... honestly nothing like I expected really." It was then that she nodded toward the bag. "So what's in there now?"

Giving Sunset a pat on the head as the curious youngster came up, Jess grinned. "Welll you remember the titanoboa, right?" Getting a narrow look and a nod, the vet continued. "They've almost finished defleshing the skeleton here and we'll be giving the various carnivores some of the meat. The bones are being shipped to the Smithsonian."

If she had been human, Ami would have raised an eyebrow. "And the skin?"

Jess shrugged a bit. "They're going to make it into leather and make a bunch of items. Some's going to be auctioned off, others are being left for various employees like Owen." Seeing the look, she snickered. "Apparently Claire wants him to have a vest for 'Professional Meetings'. Though I think that she's also getting some wallets made for her nephews, better choice then the jackets she was thinking about anyways."

Walking up, Sunset gave a sniff of the bag and let her tongue loll out. "{ _Is Snakey thing meat? For me?_ }"

As she chuckled, Ami turned back to Jess. "She's wondering if it's for her."

Chuckling herself, Jess walked over to a rock and dumped the chunks of meat out onto it. "Yes, these are for you."

Excited, Sunset rushed over and began to dig into the pile of meat as she made sounds of enjoyment. "{ _Yum! Is good!_ }"

All Jess did was shake her head before she walked up next to Ami and watched. "So, how has Sunset been lately? Eating well?"

Giving her a look, Ami snorted. "You kidding me? Sunset has been eating as often as she can, even doing some hunting."

Interested, Jess frowned a little. "Oh? And what has she been hunting around here?"

With a tilt of her head, Ami rumbled a bit in thought. "Well, mostly elephant beetles, some lizards, the odd snake... she also found a group of burrows for rabbits and is always trying to catch some. That's... about it really."

Nodding, Jess turned back toward Sunset with a smile. "That's good, she's recovering very nicely if she's hunting." Thoughtful, Jess quickly took some notes. "And it's expected for her to eat a lot, she's entered her growth spurt."

Ami tried to see what was in the notes only for Jess to raise an eyebrow at her. "She's going to be the size of the raptors in, what? Six months?"

Slowly, Jess shook her head. "Something around there. Her growth will slow down slightly, but by the end of two years, she'll be full grown. So she's going to have a monster of an appitite for a while yet.

It was then that they heard a small growl and looked up to see a full Sunset, her belly slightly protruding, glaring at one last chunk of meat. "{ _You... tried to eat me and Ami-Caretaker... I eat you!_ }" With one last bit of willpower, she snatched it up and gulped it down. Then she let out a squeaky roar of triumph that made Jess bite her lip from laughing. Slightly confused, Sunset narrowed her eye at them. "{ _What? Alpha-Rexy say when eating, to roar when done._ }"

Coughing a bit to hide her amusement, Jess only nodded as Ami translated for her. "Yes, well, Rexy would be the expert on that..."

* * *

Walking up the stairwell, Owen looked around as he reached the catwalk above a unfinished paddock. When he caught sight of Claire leaning against a railing, he smirked as he walked over. "Someone told me that you would be here."

Slowly, Claire nodded, still deep in her thoughts. "Let me guess... Lowery."

However, Owen only shook his head as he came to a stop next to her. "No, Vivian." Leaning forward against the railing, he looked down into the empty paddock. "Still mad?"

Claire let out a sigh as she shook her head. "No, not anymore anyhow. I wish that you hadn't brought the carnoraptor with you, but what is done is done." All Owen did was nod at that and for a few minutes, the two stood there. Finally, Claire broke the silence between them. "It's rather hard to believe that this was where we were going to hold that monster..."

Knowing what she was talking about, Owen looked around with a frown. "Bigger then the holding paddock, but still too small for something the size of the Indominus." It was then that a thought occurred to him which caused him to turn toward Claire with narrowed eyes. "Why would you come out here...?"

As she tapped her fingers against the railing, Claire frowned. "With the paddock nearly completed, the Board wants to use it for a new dinosaur. And they want it in three years." Seeing the expression on Owen's face, Claire shook her head. "No hybrids and I already shot down the idea of using a Spinosaurus... As did Simon and Tim when they heard about it."

Despite how much he wanted to punch something, Owen just breathed deeply. "Of course those idiots would suggest something like that... at least they didn't suggest any of those BioSyn monstrosities... We're lucky with the... 'Omega T-Rex' and the carnoraptor."

It was then that he caught sight of Claire's expression and his need to punch something went up. Catching sight of his expression, Claire smirked. "That was rather my reaction as well. And they won't be making that suggestion again." Her frown then came back. "They do raise a good point though, after the money spent on the paddock, we should use it for something."

For several moments, Owen gripped the railing as he relaxed. "Okay then... And I'm guessing that you have a few ideas then?"

Pushing away from the railing, Claire began to walk along the catwalk. "I do have a few ideas as what we might use the paddock for... The obvious would be for something that would scare people, surprise and shock them such as the Carnotaurus."

While followed her, Owen crossed his arms and scowled. "Gee, let's put a dinosaur that can cloak itself into a paddock in an area with a large number of tourists. No way that can turn out badly."

However, all he got was a smile. "An invisible dinosaur would shock and amaze people. Imagine you're one of the visitors. You're looking down into the paddock for a feeding, yet see nothing there except the food. Then, suddenly, you hear a rustle and the food is grabbed by something invisible which becomes visible a moment later. It would be attention-grabbing to say the least. As for the cloaking... Carnotaurus can only do that in regards to visible light, not infrared, so we could still 'see' it, unlike with the indominus. Also, we have full understanding of the carnotaurus thanks to the Hammond Foundation."

Raising an eyebrow, Owen grunted. "Still not impressed."

All he got though was a shrug. "Then there's the possibility of using Herrerasaurus. When were first created, they had been considered a 'safe' replacement for the Velociraptors in the old park. Quite large as well when full grown at twenty feet. Show that off for the audience, scare them with the idea of such large, predators hunting their prey in packs."

Owen just shook his head however. "They're safer only because they're less intelligent then raptors. They're also decent jumpers, or didn't you read the reports that Jess and Gerry made on them? And less intelligent does not mean less vicious either."

Her smile growing, Claire gave him a nod. "True... which brings me to the last choice... Allosaurus. A large predator that while not the size of Rexy, is still impressive. And unlike the Indominus, it could not hide from our cameras and we understand its behavior. Claws and teeth in one package. We could do a show similar to Rexy's involving it."

Snorting, Owen gave her a look. "Another large predator? Especially a highly aggressive one like Allosaurus? The 'packs' of them over on Sorna and nearby islands are more a mob than an actual pack. Every Allosaur for itself." Just as Claire was about to comment, Owen smirked. "But then, that's why you're talking to me."

With a smile of her own, Claire walked over until she was beside him. "It is." Coming to a stop beside him, she looked back down into the paddock. "Owen, you make for a great Devil's Advocate and you're not afraid to tell me problems. I _need_ that if I am to not make another mistake."

The smirk on Owen's face grew as he wrapped his arms around her waist. "Well... I'm more then willing to tell you when you're being stupid."

In return, Claire only snorted in amusement.

* * *

Gerry was softly talking with Nima when the two walked into the small labs next to the veterinary office,and the old vet raised an eyebrow at who was there. "Douglas? What are you still doing here? It's..." A quick check of his watch as the man ceased writing in a notebook caused Gerry's eyebrows to raise even more. "Nearly ten at night."

Blinking, Douglas Guitierrez blinked and looked at the clock himself with a surprised expression. "Huh... lost track of time." Then he suddenly frowned and glanced between Gerry and Nima with a confused expression. "Wait, why are you two..." Seeing the looks the two were sharing, his eyes widened a bit and he coughed as he turned around. "Right... don't want to know."

With a grimace, Gerry shook his head and walked toward a set of tanks set up. "You still haven't answered the question..."

However, all Douglas did was gesture at the water-filled aquarium. "I was making some notes regarding a few of the creatures that we found near Sorkin's lab. It's actually kind of amazing with how you can see how she refined her cloning through progressively more and more complicated creatures. Like this crayfish." Looking into the aquarium, Gerry's eyes widened a bit at the sight of a crayfish the size of a small lobster. "We've identified it as a crayfish from Cretaceous Australia, but not the species yet. It's somewhat similar to modern-day giant crayfish there, so best estimate for this one is probably twenty, maybe twenty five years old going by those."

Leaning in, Nima frowned a bit as she looked at the crustacean as it ate a dead fish. "Ay Dios Mio... that is big." Suddenly she smirked. "Might make for good eating though."

As he snorted, Douglas shook his head. "I have no doubt, though it probably takes years for them to grow to this size..." He then frowned. "We've also identified what seems to be a flightless bee as well."

Now interested, Nima tried to see what was in a weed-choked aquarium. "And in this one?" Wordlessly, Douglas reached for a tank with goldfish and dropped one in. It swam around until suddenly something eel-like shot out from the weeds, biting the goldfish in half which caused Nima and Gerry to jerk back. "What was that!?"

The other goldfish half was snapped up by the creature which retreated back into the weeds. "Species of Xenacanthus, a freshwater shark species that died out in the Triassic." With a frown, Douglas leaned back. "It's an eel-like shark with a double row of teeth. Behaviorally though, it's most like the modern Alligator Gar. It'll lurk in weeds and in other spots waiting for prey before ambushing it. One of the boys caught one about a meter long near the lab."

Running his hand through his thinning hair, Gerry just shook his head. "A freshwater shark... and it's probably already speading through the watershed... what the hell were you thinking, Laura?"

Beside him, Nima only snorted as she glared at the weeds. "Simple, she wasn't as she was loco..."


	24. Chapter 24

Disclaimer: Jurassic World is owned by Universal Pictures

" _Hello?_ " -Phone or radio.

"{ _Alpha!_ }" -Dinosaur language.

* * *

Walking into the lab, Claire smiled at the sight of Doctor Patricia Cheung waiting for her. Part of Claire's mind drifted back just a few years, though it felt more like a lifetime ago, when Patricia was a grad student doing research at Jurassic World. Just a few months before the Indominus Incident, she had been hired full time having gotten her doctorate. Even better from both Claire's and Masrani's point of view, she was one of the few geneticists that the InGen soldiers had not taken with them. "You wanted to see me about the side project of your intern, Doctor Cheung?"

Patricia smiled before she nodded. "I did, and I also have an update on the dryosaurs." Raising an eyebrow, Claire motioned for her to continue. "We managed to harvest several egg cells from the female we currently have, as well as some DNA from blood samples taken from other members of the herd. All together, we should have the first batch ready in about two months."

Her smile growing, Claire nodded as the geneticist moved her wheelchair forward. "That's good news, they should make for an excellent attraction."

Nodding, Patricia wheeled toward a doorway. "As to the side project, we managed to recover a lot of material from Doctor Sorkin's lab. The discovery of the preserved specimens in the basement storage was especially fortuiteous."

Slowly, Claire raised one eyebrow. "I was not aware that much material had been recovered."

With a small smile, Patricia chuckled. "Part of it is that Doctor Sorkin preserved even her failures. According to the few notes we recovered, she believed that she would come back to them once she showed her method worked to John Hammond and InGen's Board. We do have our suspicion for why a number of the embryos failed though."

Interested, Claire hummed for a moment. "I see... mind elaborating?"

Knowing that her boss had little patience for a run around from geneticists, Patricia sighed. "In the past decade, we've streamlined the process of de-extinction by a large factor. During the time of the first park though, they had issues. Their method back then was to take the first batch of embryos and grow them in a breeding tank. This involved suspending the embryos in a tube of liquid and attatching a nutrient source to their umbilical cord. The infant would then grow until it would have been large enough to survive. Mostly, this was done to keep an eye out for abnormalities possibly caused by faults in the genetic code. If any showed up, they would begin work on a second batch to increase the viability."

Looking at a tank in the lab which had a backbone in it, Claire simply nodded. "A technology that we've improved upon..."

As she coughed a bit to hide her smile, Patricia's smile grew a bit. "We've leapt forward in that at least..." For a moment, she frowned until she continued. "Another reason though was because the eggs. Now, we create custom eggs for each species of dinosaur. Each egg is shaped and sized to promote the best environment for the growing embryo. The original park though only used emu and ostrich eggs. For some species these were too large and so the embryo would be unable to break out. In the case of others, they might be too small and the infant would break out and die because it was too early."

Claire frowned a bit as she pieced it together. "You believe that is what happened with some of Sorkin's specimens? They hatched too early or too late?"

Nodding, Patricia frowned as they reached the door. "Doctor Sorkin didn't have access to a breeding tank, so she simply injected the embryos into the eggs and hoped for the best. When they failed, she might perform an autopsy and then place them into storage for later investigation. Thankfully though, she used alcohol in sealed jars to preserve them and also put them in the basement where there was cool air. That gave us a lot of material to go through, some of which is quite interesting..." Entering the smaller side lab, Patricia smiled at the redhaired man there. "Johnathan, I've brought Miss Dearing to get an update on your project."

Surprised, Johnathan jumped a bit and looked around. "R-right, thank you Doctor Cheung. Um... what do you want to know?"

Walking forward, Claire peered inside one of the jars to what looked like an infant sauropod. "Perhaps an overview of some of the species you have here?"

With a nod, the young man cleared his throat before he glanced at Patricia, who waved him on. "Er... we got a number of interesting specimens here. For example... JPS-002-990." He tapped one of the jars. "At first, all we knew was that it was a crocodillian. We soon discovered though that it was a deinosuchus."

It took a moment for Claire to place the name, but her eyes widened slightly. "The giant crocodile that ate dinosaurs, right?"

Nodding, Johnathan simply grinned. "Yeah, pretty cool... right! Moving on..." Johnathan then tapped another jar. "In this one, we have a mammal-like reptile belonging to the dicynodont group of herbivores... We also have what we've identified as two early mammals and a Plateosaurus... but it's this one that's the real shocker."

Interested, Claire looked at the theropod that was suspended in the liquid with a slight frown. "It looks like an allosaurus..."

There was a grin on Johnathan's face as he nodded. "It does and that is certainly what Sorkin thought. Grant you, this was one of the dinosaurs that hatched too early and died young, so it's to be expected. But when we ran it's DNA through our database, we didn't get a hit. It _is_ related to Allosaurus, but belongs to a different species."

Taking over, Patricia continued. "We also went through the skeleton, but there was a number of differences. So we ran it through the paleontological fossil database and got a hit."

Johnathan sat down on a chair and rolled over to a computer where he imput some commands. A moment later, the image of a large theropod appeared. "Say hello to Saurophaganax, the Late Jurassic counterpart to T-Rex. The most common estimates from the bone fragments is about 39 to 42 feet long... though one paleontologist has argued it might have reached 46 feet long. Definitely would not want to meet this guy in a dark jungle."

Still looking into the jar at the curled up and dead dinosaur, Claire murmured as she looked at it's claws. "No, I don't suppose you wouldn't..."

* * *

Sitting at her desk, Claire waited as seconds ticked down before two windows popped up on two of her screens and showed Tim and Simon on them. "Simon, Tim, good afternoon."

With a nod, Tim returned the greeting as did Simon. After some moments though, Simon cleared his throat. "I have received some news about Isla del Crepúsculo from the United States Government." His next words caused all the thoughts going through Claire's mind to screech to a halt. "They found Wu."

For several seconds, Claire couldn't breath before she let it out. "I... I see... alive or..."

As he shook his head, Simon frowned. "They caught him alive. Apparently, he had reached one of the bunkers on the island and was found there with a number of other geneticists..." Simon folded his hands in front of him as he fought not to clinch them. "The US is going to bring him back to the mainland as apparently they are going to try him under various offenses, including possible bioterrorism."

His eyes narrowed, Tim leaned back in his seat. "Hoskins plans certainly would be covered under that..."

The reminder that Hoskins' had always planned for the Indominus to get loose at some point caused Claire to grip the chair's arms for a moment before she calmed down. "I see... I cannot say that I am sorry to hear that."

Snorting, Tim had a thoughtful look on his face. "Frankly, this may be a better punishment for Wu then him dying by his own creations." At the looks, he continued. "I've known him for years now. And I imagine that seeing all he has built up, including his own reputation, crumble because of his actions along with Hoskins would hurt more then any tooth or claw."

Now it was Claire's turn to become thoughtful as she reviewed her own interactions with the man. "I suppose that it would be that much worse for him. He was considered _the_ geneticist of our time. Spoken of in the same thought as various great scientists through the ages, his books being used in university classrooms... And now, all that is gone because he decided he needed a challenge." Part of her, the deep primal part awoken by the amulet would have growled in happiness if it could have. "Having to live with that and see it would be much worse."

While nodded, Simon then tapped his finger against the unseen desk where he was. "There is just a few small pieces left. Firstly, the US Government is going through the eggs and embryos there in case any belong to Jurassic World... and they've found some leads in regards to certain people who may have bought some as pets."

That last sentence was said with an expression of distaste that was shared by the other two. Rubbing her brow, Claire could only shake her head. "Most likely the same ones we've received offers from before whom we've turned down."

Humming, Tim leaned back some. "I've also heard some from my own connections that, due to possible corporate espionage having been involved, InGen might receive information on their genetic engineering that they were performing. So I would warn your staff that the US Government might ask for their expertise in this or regarding any data recovered."

All Claire did was nod at that as the conference continued.

* * *

Owen set down the cup of what almost looked like engine oil down in front of his sister as she went through her emails. Taking a sip, she grimaced and looked at it. "Remind me why I am drinking this crap again?"

With a snort, Owen sipped his own cup. "Because your tired and you wanted to have real Navy coffee." Suddenly, he called over his shoulder. "And no, you can't have any Blue." Frozen from where she was about to grab the coffee pot, the currently human Blue reached closer. "I'm not kidding Blue, touch that shit and you will be dealing with me."

Grumbling, Blue shifted back into a raptor and stalked off as Grace smirked a bit. "She really is a little shit... Must run in the family. Even Sierra was a little shit growing up." When she took another sip, she grimaced and stared at the cup. "Are you ever going to tell me what you put in here?"

As he gulped down his own coffee, Owen snickered. "Old Navy secret... I will tell you that it involves having a long unwashed coffee pot and a pinch of salt. The taste will keep you awake long enough for the caffine to kick in."

That got him a grunt as Grace continued to go through her emails before she raised an eyebrow. "Wait... Rosie's birthday is coming up soon? Shit... I need to buy her something." Hearing another chuckle, she looked at Owen with narrowed eyes. "You already got something for her?"

Still with a grin on his face, Owen nodded. "She thinks that the raptors and Rexy are cool, so I'm sending her some teeth from them. She'll love them."

Her expression blank, Grace slowly shook her head. "Yeah, whatever. And she wants to come to Jurassic World too one of these days."

Now that got a wince from Owen who covered it with a gulp of coffee. "Yeah... and like I told her and Sierra, I'll think about it." There was a smirk on Grace's face before she turned back to the computer. However, a moment later Grace stopped at a question from her brother. "So... what's this secret project up in Canada that they had you working on?"

With a sigh, she turned away from the computer and looked at him though she noticed that Charlie had hopped in and was now leaning across the counter. The raptor's leg now ended at three quarters between her knee and ankle. "Well... it's not exactly something that needs to be kept secret since we work for the same people... Have you heard anything about what InGen and Masrani might be doing in Canada?"

Slowly, Owen nodded as he narrowed his eyes. "Yes... something about another park being built up there."

Taking a sip of her coffee, Grace nodded. "They're making a park of ice age mammals out on some islands in the Gulf of St. Lawrence. One of the species is going to be dire wolves, so they called me in to raise and handle them." A smile grew on her face as she nodded. "I agreed nearly right there. It's practically a dream job for me."

However, all Owen did was shake his head as he turned to where Charlie was watching them in interest. "Maybe..."

His reply caused Grace to give her brother a narrowed look. "What?" Getting another snort caused Grace to nearly growl at her brother. "What is the problem...?"

Suddenly remembering that this was the woman who lived with a wild wolf pack for two years and had a habit of getting into scraps with him as a kid, Owen raised his hands. "Whoa... it's just that these are creatures that no one has seen on this planet for over ten thousand years. You can't just assume these things!"

Pinching her nose, Grace let out a sigh. "Owen... it's a hell of a lot more different than here in Jurassic World. Pretty much every single animal being revived there has close relatives, taxonomic relatives, today. Mammoths are closely related to Asian elephants to the point where it was looked at using preserved sperm and eggs to try and impregnate an Asian elephant to create a hybrid. Even if that was impossible, before 2001, the big thing was to partially clone a mammoth to create an Asian elephant/mammoth hybrid and breed mammoths back into existence from that. In my case, dire wolves, are very close to grey wolves which I've dealt with."

With a snort, Owen shook his head and gestured at her, neither noticing Charlie watching the back and forth in interest. "Gracy, dire wolves are an entirely different type of wolf from the grey wolf. Making assumptions from relatives in regards to behaviors of extinct species is exactly the wrong sort of thing to do."

As she snorted herself, Grace stuck her finger in her brother's face. "Except, Owe, that is exactly what you did when you began to look into training raptors. You looked at the behaviors of birds, their closest living relatives, as well as notes from both the original park keeper, Robert Muldoon, and Alan Grant himself. So don't try to give me that bullshit." She then gestured at her face. "You forget, I started out studying dogs with grandpa's help when I was a little girl and learned their behavior patterns. Not to mention observing and studying coyotes with my thesis being on canid behaviors. I've also studied wolves and the like. I'm about as prepared for this as someone can be."

Rubbing his brow, Owen only shook his head some. "Still... speaking from experience just going by research into related animals isn't enough."

Grace was about to comment when Charlie suddenly appeared beside her and then promptly flopped into her lap causing Owen's sister to grunt. "Oof! What the hell?!"

Looking up at her, Charlie chirped. "{ _Scratches?_ }"

With a confused expression, Grace looked at her brother who tried not to laugh. "She, um, wants you to give her scratches..."

All Grace did was roll her eyes as she reached down and began to scratch at various places on the raptor's body. "Dammit, Owen, what the hell have you been teaching them?" Then she smirked. "I still can't wait for you to introduce them to Mom though."

Groaning, Owen laid his head down on the table. "Oh, I can just imagine how that conversation will go... 'Hey, mom, remember that amulet that I got from grandpa? Yeah, it can turn people into animals and let them talk, and can also turn animals into humans. Oh, and my raptors have used it to become human and see me as their dad.'"

While she raised an eyebrow, Grace smirked a bit as she looked down at Charlie. "Daddy's being very silly, isn't he. Good thing that Auntie Grace is here. After all, he needs plenty of advice such as not wearing board shorts to a date..."

Chirping, Charlie nodded. "{ _Daddy is very silly. Use wrong mating display._ }"

Owen threw his hands up in the air as he glared at both females. "Oh come on! Lay off about the board shorts!"

That only caused Grace to snicker and Charlie to huff.

* * *

Rexy followed Claire through her paddock as the redhead smiled. After several moments, the transformed tyrannosaurus grunted a bit. "You wanted to show me something, Claire?"

If anything, the smile slowly grew as Claire reached into her bag and pulled out the tablet. "Do you remember how at the northwestern corner of your paddock there was a lot of stone? And no vegetation at all?"

Frowning as she tried to figure out where Claire might be going, Rexy only nodded as she scratched her chin. "Yes, always wondered why so many rocks were there. Was like such nowhere else in paddock."

There was a brief moment in which Claire frowned before she shook her head. "When they were building your paddock, they planted a lot of trees. Of course, they had to put the stones and boulders they dug up in the process somewhere, and they chose that area because there was only thin grass there. Afterwards, when we put up thermal cameras to keep track of you, that area was always rather warmer then the rest of the paddock."

Her eyebrows furrowed, Rexy blinked in confusion. "Was warm place then?"

A chuckle came from Claire as Rexy looked around at the sound of machinery. "Yes, we never really gave it much thought as there were a number of places like that around the island. At least, not until recently when some of the geologists with Doctor McDonald had a look. Turns out that the reason _why_ nothing grew there besides some grass and bushes was that there was a buried hot spring there."

Perking up, Rexy turned to look at Claire directly. "Hot spring?"

Nearly laughing at Rexy's expression the red-haired woman bit her lip some. "Yes, a hot spring, though it didn't reach the surface. It only came up enough to cook the roots of plants that went too deep."

It was then that they walked out of the stand of trees, and Rexy blinked at the sight of the small bobcat digging into the dirt and creating a pit. A short distance away there was another group of men who seemed to be putting concrete along a trough in the ground. "What are they doing?"

Standing there beside her, Claire swept her eyes across the area. "They're digging what will become a heated hot spring pool for you." The park manager then pointed toward the rock pile. "We wanted to make sure that it was not too hot, so we'll be making it so the water will flow along the trough there and into the main pool. That will be big enough for you to lay in as well as the... Omega T-Rex." Knowing that she had Rexy's interest, Claire continued. "We are putting in some safeties though, just in case."

Slightly confused, Rexy frowned as she turned. "Safety? Why?"

For several moments, Claire was quiet until she nodded. "There are some dangers with hot springs that you need to be careful about. If you were to look just beyond the fence to the north, you'll find a concrete moat which is out there as a security measure. We're placing some gas detectors in there as well as in the rocks themselves just in case. If there's a build up of deadly gas, it'll start screeching in the ultrasonic range letting you know to stay away while sending a signal to the control room. There's also going to be a temperature monitor so if the temperature gets too high, some buried pipes will pump in some normal water into the pool to bring down the temperature."

Tilting her head in thought, Rexy nodded with a smile. "Will be nice to have." Curious, she walked around a bit before she blinked and pointed to the area next to her paddock, where she could see work. Part of it jogged her memory. "Is where Sunset will be, right?"

With a grin, Claire walked beside her. "Yes, that will be Sunset's paddock once it's finished, though we're naming it the 'Ceratosaurus Principality.'"

Almost a minute passed as Rexy looked between the work in her paddock and the work being done in Sunset's. Finally, she nodded. "Can Sunset have hot spring too? Remember her liking it."

Surprised, Claire frowned as she turned the idea over in her head. 'Might be able to drill through the lower concrete section of the enclosure... Or add some piping to get the hot water there from here, but...' Nodding, Claire hummed. "We might be able to do that... I'll have to talk with some people. There is one last thing that I need to tell you."

Crossing her arms, Rexy took a pose that Claire recognized as herself having used many a time. "Yes? What else?"

Her lips twitching at the mimicry, Claire shook her head. "Apparently they want to install some cameras above the hotsprings in order for people to watch you in them... they'll probably want to do the same for Sunset in that case."

All Rexy did was shrug. "Don't care if humans watch, humans always watch."

Wincing, Claire coughed. "Right... you would be used to that..." Unsaid was the other thought. 'And that means that I need to talk with Owen about bringing in Lowery and maybe Vivian, as they'll be watching the cameras...'

* * *

As the small motorboat slowly made its way through an area of rocks that rose out of the water, the young man at the front whistled as he looked toward the small island that rose out of the waves in front of them. A massive U-shaped valley that took up most of it was the most distinguishing feature. "Okay, what the hell happened there?"

Chuckling, Christina, now recovered from her fall several weeks back which nearly saw her eaten by a koolasuchus, kept an eye on the depth meter. "There was an eruption about... oh, a hundred and fifty years ago here which caused a flank collapse. Before then, it was known as the Caldero del Diablo."

That raised an eyebrow from the man. "The Devil's Cauldron, huh? How'd it get that name?"

Moving around one of the larger rocks, Christina frowned. "It was a volcano about the size of Sibo, but at the top there was a crater lake that continuously boiled according to descriptions. Was pretty acidic as well. So you can imagine what the Spainards who first discovered these islands thought. Anyways, the acids probably weakened the slope and when it blew... the whole side of the mountain came down like what happened with Mount St. Helens in 1980. That's why the water here's only ten feet deep with all these rocks, it's the debris area." She then rolled her eyes. "Don't you listen to anything Erin?"

While he nodded and glanced at the approaching island, which was only two kilometers wide, he snorted. "Sure I do, I just like listening you your voice." In response, Christina rolled her eyes. "So the Doc wants us to put some sensors there, huh?"

The frown on Christina's face deepened as part of her noted that she could see a bit of what looked like steam rising from inside the crater. "Yeah, the dike feeding the eruptions between here and Nublar seemed to be heading in this direction through the ground. Doctor McDonald is worried that if it breaks into the magma chamber here, then we could have a second eruption, except it would be this volcano. At least it would be better then if it was Sibo instead."

Having reached the shore, Erin helped pull the boat up before he glanced to the south where a second boat was powering toward them. And, just within sight, he could see the steam rising from the main eruption. "Want to wait for..." He trailed off as Christina rushed past him. "... The others. Yo! Christina! You know that Doc wants us travelling in groups after what happened."

Once more, she rolled her eyes as she came to a stream that was coming out of the forest. "I'm checking the acidity of the water, doofus." Bending down, she blinked a bit as a familiar smell hit her. "Okay... I'm smelling sulfur from the water." All she could hear behind her was a curse as she checked the water quickly and winced. "And pretty high acidity too..."

As he walked up, Erin gestured at the trees which were dying. "Those aren't looking the best either."

Frowning as she sat up, Christina dusted herself off. "Well, hopefully it keeps sleeping for a while yet."

* * *

As the rain beat down against the bungalow and the windows outside, with flashes of lightning every so often, Owen walked up behind Claire where she sat at the kitchen table. With a grin on his face he leaned over her shoulders and gave her a kiss on the neck as he looked at her laptop screen. "Working from home again..."

There was a slight smirk on Claire's face as she continued to look over her work. "Yes, because some of us have a lot more work to do than can be done in a normal workday, Mr. Grady."

Holding his hand to his chest, Owen gave a fake wince. "Ouch, that really hurt, Miss Dearing. I do work." In response , Claire turned in her chair and gave him one raised eyebrow, prompting him to continue. "I just don't do it at home."

With a snort, Grace walked past her brother and toward the fridge. "Can you two _please_ stop with the flirting. I really don't want to walk in on my brother doing something that would scar me for life."

Rolling his eyes as his sister grabbed a beer, Owen scoffed. "At least Mom's off my back for that, unlike you." He then gave her a narrowed eye look. "By the way, did you finally contact Mom and the others? They were pretty freaked when they heard about what happened."

Grace only grimaced a bit as she shook her head. "Yeah, and Mom gave me the full nine yards." Sipping her drink, she raised her eyebrow as Owen turned back to Claire. "Should you really be working on stuff for Jurassic World here?"

While she reached out for her coffee, Claire shook her head. "It's just a group of proposals regarding various future plans for the park. The new attractions being built and made are an oddity, as normally it takes _years_ of planning before we even break ground..."

At the same time this was going on, Owen noticed something odd about the map on the screen. "Where did those islands come from? Last I checked there were no islands like that near Nublar."

Sighing, Claire nodded a bit. "And you're right, there are no islands like that near Nublar currently... All of these are planned expansions of the park starting in 2018."

That caught the attention of Grace and she moved behind Claire and looked over the map. "Land reclamation and artificial islands?"

With a slow nod, Claire sipped her coffee. "There's been a number of plans put into place for new attractions, but Nublar is too small. Especially with how there has to be a section of the northern portion of the island kept wild according to our agreement with Costa Rica. However, there's a number of sandbars in the area that rise within ten feet of the surface, onto which we can build islands and that can have attractions on them. The new airfield being built is just one project that used plans already in place and just pushed their timetables forward."

Pointing at one, Owen raised an eyebrow. "Is that... an _amusement park_!? Seriously?"

Her finger against the side of her head, Claire nodded. "As we already have a water park, it was also decided that we should have an amusement park attached as well for use by park-goers. The project name has not yet been decided, but it was already decided to build at least one coaster and a number of other rides there." With a few types, she brought up a picture that showed a group of vistors freaking out as a animatronic copy of Rexy's head shot out from behind a waterfall. "This would have been another attraction there."

That caused Owen to stare at her. "Wait, seriously? A jump scare using animatronic dinosaurs?"

As she shook her head amused, Claire chuckled. "Not the worst that I've heard." Seeing the interest, she smirked. "There were plans for example to have a paddock for your girls, but with a monorail using a modified version of the gyrosphere. People would be in it and the gyrosphere would go through the paddock, and let people see the raptors hunt from close up. And there would be nighttime rides as well with visitors equipped with night vision goggles."

Facepalming, Owen grunted. "Of all the stupid fucking ideas... Seriously, I can see exactly how that would have turned out."

Once more, Claire scoffed. "Far better than the idea that one member of the Board had, which was to have a bunker in Rexy's paddock that visitors would be put into, and to release gallimimus into said paddock so that the visitors in the bunker could watch Rexy hunt them." She ignored the slightly horrified expressions on the Grady siblings at the thought. "I'll admit though... the idea for Plesiosaur Pond has _some_ merit..."

With his eyebrow raising, Owen coughed a bit. "Plesiosaur Pond? Should I even ask?"

Leaning against one hand, Claire was silent for a few moments before she slowly nodded. "The basic idea was to dig a artificial lake here in the park. Living inside the lake would be small plesiosaurs and ichthyosaurs. There would be a guide rail along which you would have 'submarines' travelling along, allowing for visitors to see the animals up close." Already knowing the next words out of Owen's mouth, she cut them off. "They weren't really submarines, more covered boats with the passanger area under the surface of the water."

Still with a frown, Owen shook his head. "Still... those ideas..."

Claire only shrugged. "As the park's manager, I see ideas like these cross my desk more often then you would think..."


	25. Chapter 25

Disclaimer: Jurassic World is owned by Universal Pictures

" _Hello?_ " -Phone or radio.

"{ _Alpha!_ }" -Dinosaur language.

* * *

Slowly blinking her eyes, Ami gave a yawn before she opened and closed her jaws in a carnosaur's version of smacking her lips. A moment later she grimaced a bit feeling the seeming dirtiness of her mouth. 'Ugh, when I'm human again, the first thing that I am doing is brushing my teeth for no less than ten minutes and gargling half a bottle of mouthwash.' Sighing as she glanced outside to see that there was a drizzle coming down, Ami groaned a bit. "I hate the rainy season..." It was then that she heard Sunset's version of a giggle and looked around, but couldn't see her. 'Hmm...'

With a grunt though, Ami just got up and was about to head out to get a drink, when she spotted her reflection in the mirror that Jess had set up for her to examine herself in. There, on her head, was none other then Sunset whose forelimbs gripped the horns above Ami's eyes. "{ _Hi, Caretaker-Ami!}_ "

A slow smile crossed Ami's face as she chuckled. "Hey there, Hat-Sunset."

That caused the little ceratosaur to blink in confusion. "{ _Hat? What hat?}"_

Now grinning, Ami turned her eyes upwards to see Sunset better. "You of course, you're my hat." Seeing the confusion, the transformed human shook her head and got a squeal from Sunset. "A hat is that piece of... uh, false-skin? That humans wear on their heads."

Sunset just blinked before her eye widened a bit. "{ _Oh! Human false-crests! Those hat?}_ " Internally, Ami counted down until finally she reached zero at the same time that Sunset's eye narrowed in a glare. "{ _I not hat!}_ "

Chortling, Ami walked out into the drizzle as she made her way toward the trough. "You're on my head keeping it nice and dry... therefore you're my hat."

With a huff, Sunset slid forward a bit to glare into Ami's eyes as said trainer drank her fill of water. "{ _I not haaaaaat!}_ "

Having leaned too far forward and with Ami's scales slightly slick from the damp, Sunset had slid off Ami's massive head and hit the ground with a grunt. Concerned, Ami stepped over the trough and leaned down to examine Sunset for injuries. "You okay, Sunset?"

Slightly out of it, Sunset shook her head. "{ _Yes, Mama-Ami...}_ "

It seemed like everything had frozen as Ami's breath caught in her chest. "Sunset... what did you just call me?"

For a moment, Sunset was confused before she realized what Ami meant. "{ _I call you Mama-Ami, why?}_ " Scratching at her head with one foot, Sunset continued. "{ _Pokey-Jess say that you look like me when I big, like mama. You look after me, like mama. You protect me like mama... so you mama... Old Mama would...}_ " There was a slight sadness to Sunset's tone before she shook it off. "{ _Old Mama would be happy that I have new Mama to care for me.}_ " Her head then hung a bit. "{ _But me told to call you caretaker... sorry...}_ "

Much to Sunset's surprise, Ami leaned down and nuzzled her softly. "You can call me whatever you want, Sunset. Even if that's... _Mama_..."

Her eye wide, Sunset let her tongue loll out of her mouth in happiness. "{ _Okay, Mama-Ami!}_ "

Unknown to Sunset, Ami felt a warmth in her chest and moved until she was above Sunset, protecting her from the drizzzle. "How about we head back into our little shelter, huh? Tomorrow I'll be human again so I'll show you where you'll be living once you're too big for my place, okay?"

When Sunset's eye lit up, Ami grinned. "{ _Me see what will be my territory?! So excited, Mama-Ami! Cannot wait!}_ "

Chuckling, Ami only shook her head. "And I can't wait either..." Then she grinned. 'Nor can I wait until I got this amulet off as then it'll be Jess' turn. And I am _so_ going to enjoy her being put through all the crap she put me through...'

* * *

Claire was looking over some notes before she glanced up at both Lowery and Doctor Patricia Cheung. "What exactly am I looking at here?"

Folding her hands in front of her, Patricia took a deep breath though there was a disturbed expression on her face. "We managed to recover some of the remains of the Indominus from the Lagoon and have been working at identifying all the sources of it's genetic code. Most we knew about and others were not a problem, but..."

Her eyebrow raised, Claire nodded. "But..."

With a slightly sickened look, Patricia shook her head. "We found some _human_ DNA in the Indominus' genetic code. We're not sure who it came from though and might never know." There was utter silence in the room as the implications hit everyone. But then she continued. "There was genetic material from another primate though as well. It _looked_ like it might be gorilla, but it didn't quite match."

It was then that Lowery began. "So I went digging through the doctor's computers and some of InGen's with permission from Mister Hammond... It turns out that Wu was using DNA of a now extinct gorilla subspecies."

That caused Claire to frown a bit. "An extinct subspecies?"

Nodding, Lowery ran a hand through his hair. "Yeah... They were discovered by an expedition in the Congo a few decades back near some ruins, but were killed by an erupting volcano. Another expedition mounted there a few years later managed to recover some remains, from which Wu got some genetic samples he used. There's not much _on_ the species though. Whatever happened got classified to hell and back and apparently the FBI jumped on that. All I could find out is that the species was smarter than normal gorillas and albinos. Also really aggressive. That's... pretty much it."

As she frowned, Claire leaned back as she considered what she had been told. "You can't find out anything else about these gorillas?"

Much to her surprise, Patricia snorted a bit. "No." She shared a look with Lowery and then frowned. "Apparently InGen was told to hand over all samples and to cease all research into them... whatever happened on that expedition apparently got some people high up rather scared. Though why is beyond me."

Frowning even deeper, Claire tapped one finger against the tabletop as she rolled it around in her head. 'I wonder if Owen's contacts he mentioned can find anything...' Shaking it off, she sighed. "Understood. Just the same, try and figure out everything that Wu did. I want to know exactly what he tried and how it worked just in case we need to hand it over."

* * *

Enjoying being human again, Ami took a deep breath of air before she let it out in a sigh. 'I missed this...' With a blink, she sniffed a bit and then shook her head. 'Though I will have to get used to the heightened senses...'

A soft snort beside her caused Ami to look down at where a curious Sunset was sniffing a bush before the ceratosaurus looked around in amazement. "{ _This will be my territory?}_ "

With a nod, Ami reached down and scratched Sunset on the head. "Yup, this is going to be all yours once it's done and you're big enough." The two continued to walk through the still unfinished paddock past the currently completed walls until Ami pointed toward a bunch of stakes. "See the colored... stuff between the sticks there? That's the outline of the rest of your territory."

Her eye wide, Sunset looked around in awe. "{ _Is going to be very big territory!}_ " Tilting her head some as they continued to walk, Sunset blinked. "{ _But why only long grass? No tree or bush?}_ "

Looking at her, Ami scratched her chin. "Well... they're still doing work on your paddock. Once they're done, they'll plant trees and bushes for you to move around and hide in." Ami then gestured at the walls set up, with where the future windows will go visible. "See those holes in the walls?"

Slightly confused, Sunset nodded. "{ _I see them, Ami-mama!}_ "

As always, those words caused Ami to smile before she shook her head. "When we do the shows, you'll be walking along them for people to see. I've already talked it over with Claire and we'll have you eating chickens and such for people to watch."

That got her a stare from Sunset. "{ _Not-Prey want to see me eat prey?}_ " When Ami nodded, Sunset's words caused the human to laugh. "{ _Not-Prey weird...}_ "

Once she got her laughter under control, Ami could only grin. "Maybe, you won't get any comment from me." Patting the smaller dinosaur on the neck, Ami gestured for Sunset to follow her. "Anyways, I got one last thing to show you."

It didn't take long before they reached what looked like a building in the middle of the paddock, which caused Sunset to tilt her head to the side. "{ _What this place?}_ "

Sitting down on a dry rock, Ami waited until Sunset laid her head in the human's lap to answer. "Well... it's sort of a house, just for you." Gently, Ami scratched Sunset's neck just under the jaw as she continued. "During storms and such, you can go inside and, if it's really bad, we can electronically shut the doors so that you're protected from the elements. The engineers even added access to the maintence tunnels so that I can come and go through them. They were a bit worried until they realized that you would be much too big to go through the door."

With her eye narrowed, Sunset sorted through what Ami said for a few seconds before she realized what she meant. "{ _Wait... you mean you be with me when sky-booms happen?}_ " At her human caretaker's nod, Sunset let out a huff. "{ _Me like that idea lots.}_ "

* * *

Walking into the area of the quarantine pens, Claire stopped and watched the sight of Rexy gently rubbing the Omega Rex's snout. Moments later, Rexy turned and regards her with a smile. "Claire."

There was a similar smile on Claire's face as she walked forward. "Rexy." Turning toward the Omega Rex, she nodded some. "And how are you doing?"

As she grunted, the Omega Rex watched her. "{ _Is very bored, but at least lots of food.}_ "

Just as she sat down beside Rexy, Claire nodded slowly. "Hopefully you'll be able to come out soon." Having caught both tyrannosaurs attention, Claire continued with a slight smile. "From what I have been told, the improvements to Rexy's paddock will be done in about a week or two, at most. By which point, the quarantine period will also be over."

Rexy snorted as she shook her head. "Then I return to my smaller territory. Seems good."

While she nodded, Claire kept an eye on the Omega Rex. "There is the issue of giving you a name, though." That caused the young dinosaur to perk up. "We're still deciding, but one of the those in the lead is 'Elizabeth'."

Giving her a confused tilt of the head, the Omega Rex blinked. "{ _Elizabeth... what mean?}_ "

Her eyebrow raised, Claire noticed that Rexy was also watching her closely. "It's a name with some history... there's been two human leaders with that name, both female and considered powerful." She didn't say the rest in her head. 'And I swear that if she is named that and Lowery brings up Elizabeth Bathory...'

For several moments, Rexy rolled the name around in her head and then nodded. "Would be good name, strong." It was then that she turned toward Claire and seemed to stare into her. "You troubled about something, Tall-Daughter. What is?"

Despite herself, Claire had a small smile on her face. "Never could hide anything from you, could I? Even before the amulet." Several moments passed before she let out a long sigh. "I've talked it over with Owen and... well, tonight we'll be bringing both Lowery and Vivian into the secret. We can't hide this for long from those two and they would be a big help keeping it under wraps."

The Omega Rex bumped her snout against the bars closest to Claire, and waited until she began to rub along it's snout. Meanwhile, Rexy snorted. "Still do not know why Metal-Scale needs to be hidden, is good thing." Seeing Claire about to say something, she snorted. "Yes, yes, know all about bad No-humans and how they would use Metal-Scale for bad things you say. But you strong. Pack of Swift-Hunters with you strong, one named Owen strong, I strong. We stop them if they try to take Metal-Scale for bad things. Still..." There was a moment and then she shrugged. "You know more, so will follow in this."

More than a little bemused, Claire shook her head for a moment and then frowned. "I'm just more worried about how the two of them might react. We had the same worry about Jess and Gerry, but they were needed right then. Ami was more an accident, but we needed to explain things, same with Grace. But both Lowery and Vivian... I'll admit to being a little worried there."

Shrugging, Rexy only grunted. "Think that you worry too much. Will be fine."

Her lips twitching, Claire only nodded. "You're probably right..."

* * *

In the passanger seat, Lowery looked toward Vivian as she drove the car toward where Owen's bungalow was. "So... what exactly do you think boss lady wants with us?"

Frowning, Vivian only shook her head as they came into sight of the bungalow in the fading light while the sun sank toward the horizon. "Why ask me? I'm in the dark about why she wants to see us out here as you are."

As he leaned his head against his closed fist, Lowery shrugged. "You're becoming her assistant, right?"

Softly sighing, Vivian shook her head some. While Lowery _was_ happy for her regarding her new promotion, he wasn't happy that his closest friend was no longer going to be working beside him. Not to mention the small issues stemming from him having finally come out and admitted he loved her. 'And I just _had_ to rip his heart apart.' Things had been awkward for a while, which brought her thoughts to events that had happened when she got home and later received an invitation back. Realizing that she was gripping her steering wheel too tightly, Vivian relaxed a bit. "Well, it looks like we'll find out soon enough."

Looking up, Lowery raised an eyebrow. "Are... they having a barbecue?"

Both him and Vivian shared a look of confusion with each other before the car came to a stop and they got out. As they walked up to the bungalow, Vivian smiled and shook Claire's hand. "Thanks for inviting us to... this."

With a raised eyebrow, Lowery watched as Owen's apparent daughter attempted to stuff two hotdogs into her mouth while the woman that Claire had introduced as 'Roxanne' watched in amusement. Off to the side, Grace facepalmed and he could just hear her mutter that she was just like Owen. "Yeah, thanks... but you wanted to talk with us about something?"

Neither him nor Vivian could quite identify the expression that flashed across Claire's face, though it was gone as soon as it appeared. "We want you both to be relaxed, as it is rather surprising..."

His eyebrow raised, Lowery smirked. "What? Is there a new Grady on the way?"

That got him a smack in the shoulder from Vivian as Claire flushed. In the back, the human Blue swallowed her food and whipped her head around. 'Is going to have hatchlings?'

Even Rexy now was paying attention, though Claire waved her hand in the air. "Nothing like that. I _can_ tell you that it's of the highest importance..."

* * *

Having gotten some food into him, Lowery ran a hand through his hair with a sigh. "Okay then... So what's the important thing you need to tell us?"

Claire shared a look with Owen before she cleared her throat. "What we're about to reveal to you both is secret and we need your help to keep it so."

Now worried, Vivian leaned forward. "Does Mr. Masrani know about..." Getting a shake of a head, Vivian became more worried. "Oh..."

Knowing what was going through their heads, Owen cleared his throat. "Look, it's nothing bad really. And it's more that if you went and told anyone, people would just think that you were crazy and had snapped."

Confused, Lowery raised an eyebrow. "Okay..."

As he shook his head, Owen took a gulp of his beer. "It's like this, to put it simply my grandfather left me an amulet. You put the blood of something in it, wear it for several hours, then you turn into whatever the blood belonged to. Downside is, you're stuck in that form for a week before you're able to transform back. But you're able to understand the sounds of the animal and related ones like Doctor Doolittle while able to transform back and forth."

Utter silence met him as both Lowery and Vivian stared at him before Claire sighed and facepalmed. "Owen..."

However, Owen was only amused at the response. "Let me guess, you don't believe us?"

Snorting, Lowery shook his head. "What was your first clue." Reaching up, he rubbed at his face. "So was there really a reason for this? Or just some kind of joke?"

Once more, Owen and Claire shared a look before they got out of their chairs and put them to the side much to the two techs' confusion. A moment later though, Lowery and Vivian fell out of their chairs as they scrambled back from the T-Rex that appeared in Claire's place. The fact that Owen was suddenly replaced by a raptor didn't escape their notice either. "Oh shit..."

Even if she didn't show it, Claire was rather amused at Vivian swearing for once. "That was rather the response that I had when I found out..."

Her eyes wide, Vivian pointed at her boss. "You... You talk... Oh fuck, my boss is a talking T-Rex... Oh fuck..."

Mouth wide, Lowery kept looking between Owen and Claire before he sat down onto the ground. "Holy..." Hearing laughter, he turned toward where an amused Rexy and Blue was watching him. "I suppose that you two can turn into dinosaurs too?"

If anything, Rexy's grin grew as she leaned in. "No, we turn into humans."

That was when the tattoos on Blue as well as her hair, not to mention the yellow eyes and scars on Rexy, clicked in Lowery's mind. And from the gasp beside him, Vivian realized it as well. "No way... No fucking way... You can't be-" He was interrupted as both Rexy and Blue returned to their original forms which caused him to gulp. "Okay... Maybe you are..."

Chuckling, Claire transformed back into her human form alongside Owen. "Don't worry, neither of them will hurt you."

All Lowery could do was watch as both Blue and Rexy became humans again. "Right, okay, sure then... And I think I can see why you need our help keeping this secret... Just one thing?"

Feeling slightly bad considering how shaken up they seemed, Claire nodded. "You only need to ask."

In reply, Lowery held up an empty bottle of beer. "You have anything stronger laying around? Because I really need it right now..."

Beside him, Vivian nodded her agreement.

* * *

Sitting in front of her monitors, Claire spared a glance for Vivian, who sat next to her. Even though it wouldn't look like it to anyone else, Claire knew from long time association that Vivian was suffering from a hangover brought on by her drinking the previous night due to the relevations. "Are you feeling okay, Vivian?"

The young woman gave her boss a pained smile. "Yeah... took some painkillers earlier so I'm good."

It was then that the computer chimed to let them know that a connection was being made, before both Tim's and Simon's images filled up the monitors. Smiling, Masrani gave them both nods. "Hello, Claire, Miss Krill."

After Tim greeted them and they got through the beginning small talk, Tim got down to business. "Now then... how are things in the park? I've been informed that there's been some activity at Caldero del Diablo?"

Slowly, Claire nodded with a slight grimace. "There has been a number of phreatic eruptions there, steam explosions caused by the water meeting the molten rock beneath the island. The volcanologists have assured me that we're still safe, even if it was to erupt."

Relieved, Simon nodded some. "That's some good news... Speaking of which, Claire, we also have some good news. Do you remember the device that Miss Grady brought back from Isla del Crepúsculo?"

It took her a moment, but Claire nodded with a frown as beside her Vivian glanced between the three. "Um... it's that sonic device, right?" When they looked at her, she winced a bit. "Sorry."

Claire just waved her off. "Relax, none of us are going to bite."

On his screen, Tim nodded with a smile. "She's right. And as to your question, yes, we're talking about the sonic devices." With a sigh, he clasped his hands in front of him. "The device, and others like it that the ACU managed to collect, uses sound waves to drive off or incapacitate dinosaurs."

Nodding, Masrani frowned. "We've been performing research ourselves into such a device for a while now, including some prototypes. We're not sure where BioSyn managed to... _procure_ , the design, but according to my own engineers we should have a version of our own soon enough. Apparently it's managed to shave off years' worth of work for them in research and development. Of course, we're focusing on larger versions which we will be putting on top of buildings on Main Street as well as some of the vehicles. It is hoped that if we have another... flyer escape, the usage of them will buy enough time to get people to shelter."

However, Claire's eyes narrowed a bit. "I did notice that the person that the US military sent to look over items recovered were quite interested in them as well."

There was some distaste on Tim's face as he nodded. "And if they come back to ask more questions about the devices, answer them as truthfully as possible. Especially as in regards to their effectiveness." Seeing Claire's knowing scowl, he shook his head. "Neither Simon or I like it ourselves. But the US government is keeping an extraordinarily close eye on us. And they are highly interested in the technology for possible usage in non-lethal weaponry, especially in crowd control. It was either hand them directly over and possibly never be able to use them for the park, or to do the research and add them to the park security as soon as possible. The price, of course, being that the military is able to use the research themselves."

As he folded his hands in front of him, Simon grimaced. "And with the fallout from the recent goings on with BioSyn, it's best to cooperate fully with US government in this as they also have the ear of the Costa Rican government. We need to stay on their good side in this."

Rubbing her brow, Claire sighed. "In other words, damned if we do, damned if we don't. I suppose in this case at least we know well ahead of time and it's not something that can escape and kill people. I just wish..." Shaking it off, she let out a breath. "Thank you for warning us, I'll make sure to pass on the information."

With a frown, Simon looked to the side and then nodded. "Speaking of non-lethals... how has the new training been going with the ACU?"

For a minute, Claire gathered her thoughts. "It has been going quite well as Nima Cruz has been putting them through their paces. Some of them have stated it's like boot camp all over again, but I've been told that it's them just joking about it. Though all told, they're quite happy with the new armaments they've been getting. In particular, a number are pleased with the cholinesterase bombs we've gotten."

A smirk crossed Tim's face as he chuckled. "Somehow I am not surprised at all. Hopefully they never need to be used though."

* * *

Nima raised an eyebrow as she walked into one of the more isolated quarantine paddocks for Jurassic World, this one hidden not too far from where the old paddock for the Indominus was. "So what did you want to show me, Gerry?"

There was a slight smirk on his face before he rapped his knuckes on the bar. "Well... I thought that you might want to meet someone."

A moment later, Nima took a slight step back as a large, crocodilian head rose up and blinked one suspiciously human eye at her. "Hmm? Nima?"

Her eyes wide, Nima took a few steps forward to look at the large baryonyx in the paddock. "Mierda... is that really you, Jess?"

Yawning, Jess snapped her jaws shut and then nodded. "Yeah, it's me." She brought up one clawed forelimb up and examined it the best that she could. The light glinted off the massive, first claw on her paw. "I got to admit, it's an experience."

With an interested look, Nima reached through the non-electrified bars of the quarantine pen. "May I?" Nodding, Jess moved her paw close so that Nima could grasp the claw and examine it. After several seconds, she let go with a shake of her head. "Well, I suppose that no hijo de putas will mess with you now."

Jess snorted before giving a croc-like grin. "Like they would before, Nima." Suddenly, she paused and took several sniffs. "Odd..."

Raising an eyebrow as Jess continued to sniff, Gerry frowned. "Something the matter, Jess?"

More then slightly confused, Jess finally bent her head down and took a sniff of Nima. "No, just really odd. I mean, I smelt this earlier when you were pulling those tests on me... and now I understand why Ami and Owen felt annoyed at them." Then Jess took a deeper sniff of Nima. "And for some odd reason, Nima has the same scent all over her."

As he coughed, Gerry felt a blush on his cheeks as he realized what Jess was smelling. "Uh, Jess? Honey...?"

Looking up, it was then that the transformed human realized that Nima was attempting not to look at her with a flush to her cheeks, just like her dad. And then it clicked in her head and she rapidly backed off. "Wait, that smell is... ew! Ew! Gross!"

While he glanced at Nima who seemed stuck between embarrassment and amusement, Gerry sighed. "Jess, you know about me and Nima. Not to mention that we're both adults."

However, Jess just continued to hack as she waved her paws in front of her. "Ack! Dad, I really do not need to think about that! I mean, I know that you two are... but actually _knowing!?_ " Shuddering, Jess shook her massive head. "Dammit, I'm killing Owen for not telling me."

Amused now, Nima only shook her head before she crossed her arms. "Let's... change the subject then. So then... why, this?"

Sighing in relief, Jess looked herself over. 'Thank you...' As she ignored the exasperated looks that her father and Nima were giving each other, Jess gave the best shrug that she could. "Well, I'll admit that part of it is because I always kind of wondered what being a dinosaur is like. Mainly though? It would be a _huge_ help if I was able to understand my patients. Heck, now I can fight and help out some." Then she grinned. "Also, Baryonyx is a swimmer, so I can have some fun with that as well."

With a snort, Gerry leaned back and shook his head at his daughter. "Jess, you were always a big help. You helped out a lot during the first incident, let alone what happened with the Indominus."

Having had this conversation before, Jess only shook her head. "Anyways... did you at least get all the data that we were looking for? Because all that was uncomfortable, and I _know_ that you were using it as a chance to get back at me."

Slowly raising an eyebrow as he smirked, Gerry snorted. "Jess, do you really think that I would do that?"

In return, he got a dry look from his transformed daughter. "Yes, because I know you too damn well."

Even though she was amused at the byplay, Nima still continued to examine Jess's new form, Nima frowned a bit after a few moments. "Okay, but if you wanted to fight, then why not bigger?"

One paw coming up, Jess tilted it from side to side. "I could have gone with a suchomimus, but that's just a touch too big. Besides, we got 'large and in charge' covered thanks to Claire, one more wouldn't make too much of a difference. And with Baryonyx, I can at least get places that they can't, just in case."

Her lips turned upwards in a smile, Nima nodded. "I can see that." Chuckling, Nima looked over the large predator on the other side of the bars. 'More then deadly enough...'

* * *

Rexy was doing her usual morning patrol when she heard a sound on a cliff above her and looked up to see the Scarred Raptor there watching her. "{ _Scarred-One, leave now.}_ "

For several moments the raptor watched her while her Beta glared. Just as said Beta was about to hiss something, Scarred-One spoke up. "{ _Do not wish to fight now. Wish to talk.}_ " Even though she didn't trust the raptor, Rexy grunted. "{ _Know that you with Not-True-Hunter Alpha, mate to your Tall-Daughter. Wish to speak to him.}_ "

Suspicious, the rex glared at her. "{ _Why?}_ "

Even though it was obvious that the raptor wanted nothing to do with Rexy, it only glared back. "{ _Have news he should know. One Alpha to another, will not harm him.}_ "

Her eyes narrowed, Rexy watched her. "{ _How want to meet?}_ "

As she tapped her claws against each other, Scarred-One softly purred. "{ _Tell him to meet at boundary of territory, where before. Come when Bright-Circle touch Tall-Mountain. Will talk to him there.}_ "

Growling, Rexy glared at her. "{ _I will. But if harmed, I find and kill you and your pack. Also with Tall-Daughter.}_ "

With a hiss, Scarred-One took a step forward. "{ _Give word! Do not think it false!}_ " Suddenly, she grinned as she backed away. "{ _Besides, Old-One could try if we did. But will find that brittle bones be chewed in end by hatchlings.}_ "

However, all that got was a snort from Rexy as she shook it off. 'Foolish one.' Just the same though, she continued with her patrol before heading for Owen's bungalow.

* * *

Blue growled softly as she looked around. "{ _Do not like this, D-Alpha. Where are other True-Hunters...}_ "

Looking up at Sibo, Owen frowned a bit. "Almost time, Blue. The sun hasn't seemed to touch the side of the mountain yet." Then he looked around at the brush before he lowered his voice to a whisper. "Though I'm positive that they're already here and watching."

There was silence for a moment before a barking laugh could be heard from the shadows before Scarred-One stepped into view. "{ _Is very good, know when being hunted.}_ "

While he took the compliment as it was, Owen lowered himself a bit and spread out his forelimbs with each claw also spread out as Scarred-One also did it. Just behind and to the side, Blue lowered herself to the ground, Scarred-One's Beta doing the same. "I ask permission to enter territory to talk."

Nodding, Scarred-One lightly chirped. "{ _Give permission to friend-pack to enter territory.}_ " After the two of them bobbed their heads, Scarred-One turned around. "{ _But will not need to go far, come.}_ " Soon after, Owen entered a clearing which had stones set around it. In the center was a small hollow filled with ripped vegetation providing a soft place. "{ _Sit, shall be Pack-Talking place.}_ "

If he had them, Owen would have raised his eyebrow. But as he was a raptor, he nodded and waited until Scarred-One sat down and followed. The other raptor Alpha seemed pleased by it. Both Blue and the other Beta sat down behind Owen and Scarred-One. Slowly letting out a breath, Owen tilted his head to the side some. "So, Rexy said that you have news for me?"

Her eyes closed, Scarred-One tilted her head downwards before opening one eye. "{ _Know about Soft-Prey in old Floating-Nest place?}_ "

Owen took a moment to go through what she had said to realize what Scarred-One was talking about. "You're talking about the volcanologists near the North Dock?"

Letting out a soft hiss, Scarred-One bobbed her head. "{ _Yes, them.}_ "

As he frowned slightly, Owen let out a hiss of his own. "Yes, I know about them, why? Do you want to know what they're doing there?"

There was a curious expression on Scarred-One's face before she tilted her head to the side. "{ _Did not know why they come there, nor cared much. Like to know, but have told pack not to bother or get close to. Soft-Prey with boomsticks dangerous. Keep to shadows.}_ "

For a few seconds, Owen thought it over, but nodded. "They're there to watch the... uh, smoking place out in the big waters, the ocean. Could be dangerous to the island and everything on it so they're keeping an eye on it." He then pointed at Sibo, just barely visible. "Could make Tall-Mountain into Smoking-Fire-Mountain. If it happened then it would kill a lot of things... so if you see them leaving and us leaving the island, come to furthest place from mountain as I know you won't likely come with us. Might be safe there."

It was then that Owen noticed that the raptor before him seemed rather pleased. "{ _Warn friend-pack of possible danger and give way to be safe. Am good to hear.}_ " Eyes narrowing, she hissed a bit. "{ _But is not problem. While own pack know to stay away, Redplume-Outcast not same. Has been watching with pack, but angry.}_ "

Feeling his non-existant hackles raising, Owen growled. "Doctor White? What is she up to..."

With a considering look, Scarred-One snorted. "{ _Member of pack, Good-Hide, hear them. Speak that Soft-Prey intruders and not worthy. And that they should leave or be forced to. Outcast say, they be judged and will be found wanting.}_ "

Already knowing what that meant, Owen felt a shiver run up his spine. 'She's planning on possibly attacking them? Is she... no, she is nuts. White already proved that before.' Now though, there was something else that he wanted to know. "So why tell me this?"

Snorting, Scarred-One gave him an amused look. "{ _Know much, but still much to learn, Alpha-Owen. Is Alpha of Friend-Pack and has proven good Friend-Pack by killing Silent-River-Killer by mate. Avenge our packmates lost. Warn just in case... but more.}_ " When she saw the curious expression on Owen's face, she let her mouth hang open some. "{ _But am smart, like self. Redplume-Outcast stupid Alpha of her pack. Good hunter and Alpha know not to draw attention of dangerous prey herd. Soft-Prey look weak, but very dangerous as know. If Redplume-Outcast attack, will fail and draw attention from Soft-Prey. Own pack might be attacked by Soft-Prey on hunt. Do not want to see packmates dead because of stupid Outcast-Redplume.}_ "

His thoughts reeling, Owen glanced at Blue who seemed as surprised as he was. "Well... depending on how much time we have, we can come up with a plan to stop her..." He then frowned. "And perhaps do so in a way that will see us all safe from her and her pack once and for all..."


	26. Chapter 26

Disclaimer: Jurassic World is owned by Universal Pictures

" _Hello?_ " -Phone or radio.

"{ _Alpha!_ }" -Dinosaur language.

* * *

Cutting a piece of steak off from the rest, Grant popped it into his mouth and chewed before he swallowed. "I have to admit, Tim, your chefs always impress." After he took a sip of his drink, he smiled a bit. "Always a wonder."

While he chuckled, Tim shook his head a bit and leaned back. "As Grandpa would say... I spared no expense. But I'll pass on your compliments anyways."

At his own chair, Ian raised his glass and gestured with it. "So, uh, when are we going to, um, get to the point of this dinner?" Seeing the raised eyebrows, he shrugged as he held his arms out, Alan needing to duck underneath one. "Because, er, as great as it is to have a reunion and all, I'm guessing that you have something else in the background. Probably about the, uh, park."

Slowly, Tim reached up as he ignored the slight disappointment on Ellie's face. "Ian, you're like an uncle to me... More so than my actual uncle was." A moment later, he deflated the grin on Ian's face. "One of those crazy uncles that you like to pretend don't exist, but do and whom you can still count on."

Ian just snorted as he leaned back. "Thanks."

Having given Ian a quick, amused grin, Tim turned back toward Alan who had popped another piece of steak into his mouth. Finished with it, he frowned slightly and turned back to Tim. "Did you want to talk about the park?"

With a sigh, Tim shook his head. "I was going to take you aside later before it was time to go, so as to not ruin our reunion dinner." Seeing Alan open his mouth, the young CEO shook his head. "And no, I wasn't about to ask you to go to Nublar to inspect the park. Lord only knows that I'm extremely hesitant to do so myself."

Now interested, Alan took another sip of his drink as he brought his thoughts in order. "Okay then, about what did you want advice on?"

For several moments, Tim was quiet before he looked down into his glass. Part of him had expected Grant to be angry with him, but the rest knew that the only father figure he had who was worth a damn wouldn't be. "Miss Dearing has put forward the possibility of opening some new attractions. A few I have no problem with such as the 'Small World' which will showcase smaller dinosaurs. Dilong is supposed to be the star of it. Sunset the Ceratosaurus is another which will be around for the reopening. But there's others that I am much more... _hesitant_ about. Such as the Omega Rex."

That got him a raised eyebrow from Sarah Malcom, nee Harding. "'Omega Rex'? You're not making another hybrid, are you?"

Grimacing, Tim shook his head. "Nothing of the sort, it was retrieved from a BioSyn operation." It took him a few seconds to sort his thoughts before he continued. "It's a modified T-Rex. We're not sure of the process, but we _think_ that they used the library of Tyrannosaurus DNA. They stitched together the genetic code from the very best of various individuals and then ran it through a resequencer. Basically, it's the 'Captain America' of Tyrannosaurs."

Rubbing her brow, Ellie just frowned. "How much..."

A frown on his face, Tim stared off into space. "Fifty feet long is what she's supposed to be when fully grown. About two more tons then Rexy as well..."

With a cough, Ian glanced at Alan who was just finishing his dinner. "Uh, that doesn't sound... Like a good thing."

To everyone's surprise, Alan just snorted. "Hardly. But then Rexy hasn't been a problem in years. No... What's got you worried is something else." His eyes narrowing, Alan frowned. "I'm guessing it has to do with those raptors." Silently, Tim nodded which got a sigh from Alan. "Right, I'll go out on a limb and say that she wants to use them in an attraction."

Not too surprised that he had guessed it, Tim nodded. "She wants to call it 'Raptor Racing'. The general idea is that visitors will sit in a group of bleachers looking out onto a racing track. Between them and the track will be a barrier, most likely shatterproof glass and electrified fencing. Several times a day, the raptors will be released onto the track to run at full speed. Sometimes it'll be a normal track and others it will have obstacles."

Horrified, Ellie stared at him as she stood up and slammed her hands down on the table. "Please tell me that is some kind of joke." When he shook his head though, she just stared at him. "You're not honestly thinking of allowing it! Raptors are too dangerous, Tim!"

Tilting his head toward her, Ian nodded. "She's, um, got a point."

Slowly, Tim reached into the bag beside him and pulled out a tablet. "Normally, I would agree with you. But there's something odd about these raptors and that was what I was going to ask you about." Passing the tablet over to Alan, Tim nodded at it. "Watch the video on it."

Frowning slightly, Alan took the tablet and began to play the video on it. Once it was done, he replayed it again as he rubbed his chin in thought before looking up at Tim. "Any sign of this being staged?"

As he ignored Ian looking over the video of the Raptor Squad in Owen's home, Tim shook his head. "None, but even if it was staged, would that make a difference?"

With a frown on his face, Alan shook his head. "No, it wouldn't. There was an explanation given I suppose?"

Holding his hands in front of his face, Tim only nodded. "According to Miss Dearing, what happened at the end with the Indominus apparently proved Owen to the pack. Thus, they've become docile and allow him to lead them around, even to the point of allowing more human pack members join. I have talked with some experts and they've said it's plausible, but..."

That got him a snort from Alan. "You don't believe that in the least." Shaking his head as Ian passed the tablet to Sarah, he frowned. "No, something about their behavior is off for some reason. But I don't know why..."

* * *

Hisses and growls exploded from Jess as she paced around in the quarantine paddock. "You can't fucking be serious, Owen! You can't trust that... that... that fucking _monster!_ "

Crossing his arm, Gerry nodded some as beside him Nima hissed in Spanish. "I agree with Jess, Owen. The Scarred Raptor can't be trusted in the slightest."

Slowly raising his eyebrow, Owen only glanced at Blue. "She's not the Indominus you know."

As he frowned, Gerry shook his head. "No, it may not be psychotic as the Indominus or the Big One in the original park. But I still wouldn't trust her. You weren't there during the first incident, Owen. She could have killed Oscar, but instead drew it out as long and painful as she could."

Owen just nodded as off to the side, Claire and Rexy just stood there, observing. "And believe it or not, I understand exactly where you're coming from in this."

The bars clattered as Jess slammed her crocodilian head against them. "Then why in all that is holy are you trusting it?!"

With a shake of his head, Owen just snorted. "Who says that I do trust her?" At their looks, Owen frowned. "I _believe_ her when she says that she wants nothing to do with the park. I _believe_ her when she says that White might try and attack the scientists at the North Dock. I also _believe_ her when she says that she's willing to help because it could bring danger to her own pack. However, I _don't_ trust her not to try and kill me if it improved their situation."

A growl exploded from Blue as she clinched her fingers together. "She even try it, I kill her! Pack will kill her pack!"

Off to the side, Rexy grunted a bit. "And I help kill them."

That got her a look from Owen, but he nodded. "Thanks." He then got up and began to walk around. "But the point remains the same. If she's telling the truth, and I can't see why not, then White's a major danger to her pack and to the scientists."

Frowning, Claire shook her head. "You only have the slightest clue of how true that is." Seeing his look, Claire sighed. "It... was one of the backup plans in case your pack ever escaped into the north of the island. They would be located and then... airstrikes would be called in on the area. If those raptors attack and kill any scientists, then I can assure you that the result would be generally the same. Except they would be hunting Scarred One's pack and might bring in hunters as backup to take out any stragglers. And there would be no difference seen between White's pack and the Scarred One's."

With a scowl, Gerry shook his head. "And that's not mentioning what will happen to the park. They're going to assume that the raptors came from us, not the original park."

Uncomfortable, Owen grimaced as she was reminded of how his pack was not the first raptors in InGen Security's project. Especially as he remembered the fate of 'Subject-V2' and 'Subject-A2'. "And then the government would come down on us hard."

Tapping a finger against the wall, Nima let out a breath. "Dios mio... we got no choice then." Shaking it off, she turned toward Owen. "So then, the question is... what's your plan?"

While he crossed his arms, Owen let out an explosive sigh. "Frankly? Right now all I can think of is an ambush of her and her pack. But I don't know if it would work even if we had the entirety of Scarred One's pack there."

A sound not unlike a laugh caused him to turn toward Rexy who grinned savagely. "Why need more Swift-Hunters? Have me and Tall-Daughter there. Might use one called Ami as well."

Slowly, Owen rolled the idea around in his head a bit. "That... might do it. But we still need to plan it out as well as know how White plans to attack the North Dock."

That got him a snort from Jess as she narrowed her eyes. "It would be too easy for her to get inside." When everyone turned her attention to her, the transformed human shook her head. "Think about it, how would the ACU react to the sight of a woman in dirty and torn clothing coming out from the jungle toward them?"

Cursing, Owen punched the table he leaned against. "Dammit... they would open the gate to get her without a thought, giving her damn pack a chance of getting in..."

Nima only hummed as she cleaned her nails with a knife. "Then it would be best if we ambush the ambushers then..."

It wasn't only Rexy who began to grin a little at that.

* * *

Drizzle continued to come down as the foreman of the construction crew working on Sunset's future paddock clapped his hands together. "Okay people! Time to wrap everything up for the night!" Feeling a tap on his shoulder, the foreman turned and raised an eyebrow. "Something wrong, Meg?"

As the rest of the crew got to work tidying everything up, the woman just snorted as she jerked her thumb behind her. "One of the guys apparently found something that I figured that I should check with you about, Phil."

Slightly curious, Phil frowned a bit as before he sighed. "Well, I'm wet enough, so might as well go see what you guys found." Following her, the foreman grumbled as he shook off the water that clung to him. "I fucking hate working in the rainy season."

Chuckling, Meg grinned back at him as they walked away from the lights, turning on their own flashlights. "Look on the bright side, with all the extra work we're making good money. Especially with the danger bonus."

That only got her a snort from her boss who scowled. "Yeah, well, I could do without the fucking rain." Coming into view of a group of three guys, he groaned. "What the ever fucking hell did you guys find over here? And what were you doing over here anyways?" Of course, right then was when he smelt something and his scowl grew. "You know what? I don't want to know because one of these days security is going to catch you clowns in the goddamn act."

One of the guys raised his hands. "Hey, it's not like that-"

Meg cut him off with a glare. "Oh, shut up, Russ. We can all smell it, how the fuck you get that shit on the island is beyond me."

Scowling, Russ just gave her the finger. "Fuck off, Meg. You know how stressful working here is. One of us could get killed by a dinosaur any day. So what if we need something to calm our nerves."

Unfortunately, that only got him a glare from the foreman. "You'll need something alright to calm your nerves you dumbass. Especially when they catch you. Now, what did you find."

Despite wanting to continue, the worker just pointed off to the side. "Was over here doing stuff when we found it, looks like some old bunker from the first park."

Intrigued, Phil pointed his flashlight in the direction that was gestured in only to find a partially buried concrete structure. "Huh, will you look at that." Walking up to it, he gestured for the others to follow and shone his flashlight inside before frowning. "Hmm... Hey, Meg. You guys come over here and watch the door, I need to look at the plaque. Let me know if you see _any_ movement whatsoever."

Grunting, Meg walked up and kept her light steady on the doorway as Phil walked over and wiped the plaque clean, one eye always on the door. "Okay, that explains it. You guys found one of the old utility sheds."

After a moment, Meg walked up as he gestured for them to come forward. "Utility shed, huh?"

Simply nodding, the foreman shone his light inside the small building. "Yeah, the old park used them to store tools, lawn tractors, and so on. When we built the park, we came across a couple. Not much left in them though except for metal tool heads, rusting equipment and some stuff they shoved into storage. They're made like the bunkers in miniature though, so they're made to last."

Their lights played across the room inside though it was blocked in places by various things. At the back, what looked like an pile of cinder blocks made a low wall. Russ just snorted a bit. "Damn, inside looks like shit. So what are we going to do, boss? Clean it out?"

For a moment, the foreman paused and turned toward him. Then he shone his flashlight upwards to where a tree was anchored in the roof. "What do you think? We'd need to do so much work it might as well not be worth it. Hell, I'm willing to bet that if we tried to take that tree down, it would just damage the shed itself."

Playing her light across the ceiling of the shed, Meg frowned a bit. "I'd say that we could tear it down, but... If it's anything like the bunkers then that would be fucking hard as hell."

With a grunt, Phil stood up fully. "Just about." Reaching out, he tapped the concrete. "Reinforced concrete, at least six inches... Nah, might as well leave it here. No one's going to see it after all once we're done." Clapping his hands on his pants, Phil sighed. "I'll let them know just the same so they can put it down on the maps."

A scowl on his face, Russ shook his head. "And what? Take all the credit?"

Several moments passed before the foreman growled at him. "You're damn lucky that I don't inform anyone of why you snuck off with your buddies over there." The other two men, silent up until now, flinched. "Now get the hell out of my sight before I decide otherwise."

Once they were gone though, Meg raised an eyebrow. "You're not going to say anything about them sneaking off to smoke weed?"

However, all she got was a snort. "Nope! Besides, we're due to a drug test soon and they'll catch them then. And if dumbass and his friends want to throw a job away because they want to get high, their own damn problem." His light catching onto an apple core, Phil shook his head. "And I personally can't wait to see his ass escorted off the island. Anyways... Let's get back with the others. We don't want to be separated after all."

As they pushed aside some brush, Meg looked over at Phil. "How'd you figure that they missed it?"

Shrugging, Phil held up one hand and tilted it back and forth. "Area was never really developed, the shed is partially buried, all the trees and brush blocking the View. There's a lot of reasons..."

It was several minutes after they left that the grass near the apple core parted as a large rat came out and began it eat it. Before it could get far through, the sound of claws caused it to stiffen before it tried to run.

Which was when a head the size of a man's hand darted out and caught the rodent in it's tooth filled jaws. Shaking the dead rat for several seconds, the small dinosaur looked around with the dim light glinting off the single crest that ran along it's snout. Then it turned and rushed back into the shed at the sound of a chirp there.

After all, it had reasons to be there and needed time. Though the hunting was good at night once all the big-soft-prey left...

* * *

Henry Wu was pouring himself some tea when the door opened and he turned with a nod. "Agent Francine. How are you today? I would offer you some tea but... I know that you drink coffee. And the tea's not the greatest."

Sitting down, the woman just frowned at him as she narrowed her eyes. "Sorry, but that's probably the best tea that you are going to have for a while."

There was a slight pause in Wu's motion before he nodded. "I suppose so." After a few moments, Wu turned and walked over to the table before sitting down. "So then... what are we going to talk about today?"

Watching him, the agent raised an eyebrow before she leaned forward. "I don't quite think that you understand exactly how much trouble you might be in, Mr. Wu. Not only were you a party to kidnapping since most of your team did not know what was about to happen, but you also were involved in corporate espionage. As well, you were involved in an illegal and unsanctioned bioweapons project."

As he sipped his tea, Wu frowned before he placed it down onto the table. "I only did as I was ordered. I created something that fit exactly what Simon Masrani asked for. Bigger, scarier, cooler. More teeth. It was all in his memo to us. And if it also fit what Victor Hoskins asked for, then there was little problem."

Agent Francine glared slightly at him. "What Victor Hoskins wanted is _exactly_ the problem, Mr. Wu. Same with the other creatures on that island BioSyn was using. You know that he wanted a macro bioweapon, and people died because of you."

His head snapping up, Wu took a deep breath before he clinched his jaw. "What happened was... unfortunate, I'll agree. But sadly not unexpected as I knew there was a chance of such happening."

For a second, the woman looked like she was about to shout, but forced it down. "You are, at the very least, an _accessory_ to bioterrorism, Mr. Wu. Victor Hoskins was always planning for the Indominus to escape and wreak havoc as a test. And we have more then enough evidence to show that you knew this. We have also retrieved your own files on the planned Indominus Raptor. You created a monster on purpose Mr. Wu. And yes, I know already all about how you told Simon Masrani that to a canary, a cat is a monster. As well as how we're not used to being the canary. Well, Mr. Wu, you're the canary who created the cat."

With some amusement on his face, Wu gave a nod. "That's an... apt description."

However, the agent only shook her head. "I don't know if you have realized this, but trust me, you're in a mess of trouble."

Sipping his tea, Wu hummed and then set it down. "If I did not do it, then someone else would have. Einstein was a genius, but his work would lead to the invention of the atomic bombs... but also nuclear reactors as well as the usage of medical isotopes. Because of my work, how many diseases now have treatments because of how far genetics have come since the first park? How many crops and livestock breeds better then any before have been introduced?" Not getting a response, he placed his hands in front of him. "But I know that I am in trouble, and will be punished for it. Tell me something, Agent Francine... are you familiar with the story of Prometheus?"

Her eyes narrowed, Francine nodded. "The Greek myth about the Titan who stole the secret of fire from the Olympian Gods and gave it to man. Who was as punishment chained to a mountain and would have his liver eaten by a giant eagle. Are you saying that you're Prometheus?"

Bemused, Wu snorted. "Nothing of the sort, but I can sympathize with him now in a sense. Like him, I took something that had been before only in the realms of the gods and gave it to mankind. Him fire and for me, the ability to create life. And now? As punishment, I am to be imprisoned and will have what I built tore up and devoured. It may not be my liver, but I think that we can both agree it is painful."

As she leaned back, Francine just frowned slightly. "You're a... very complex man, Mr. Wu. It's just so sad that because of what you did, the creation of something like the Indominus will be what some might think is your crowning achivement in genetics."

Chuckling, Wu shook his head. "Perhaps, but I don't consider it such."

There was a slight shiver that went down Agent Francine's spine. "What do you mean by that?"

Still with a self-depreciative smile, Wu sighed. "Like I said, I have strayed into the realm of what was part of the domain of gods, Agent Francine. Gods created man in their image after all. But all we can do, for the most part, is recreate things."

Watching him closely, the government agent narrowed her eyes. "What aren't you telling us?"

For almost a minute, Wu watched her back before he reached over and grabbed the notepad on the table and a pen. Quickly, he wrote something down and then slid it to Francine. "That's the name of an island in Greece. Privately owned, but there is where you'll find my greatest work. I am entrusting you, and your fellows behind the mirror beside us, with that information." Wu glanced toward the mirror and shook his head. "I can only hope that you will get there in time."

Eyes narrowed, Francine glanced at the mirror before she nodded. "And what will we find there?"

A saddened look was on Wu's face as he answered. "As I said, gods created life and man. And I strode into the realms of the gods and created life with the Indominus." Slowly, Agent Francine's eyes widened as she realized what he meant before she left. "A good day to you, Agent. And I hope that you may make it in time..."

* * *

Setting down her drink, Ami continued typing into her computer as she softly smiled some. 'If there's one major benefit to understanding Sunset and the others, it's for my studies of their behavior.' Focused as she was on her work, the handler missed the red head of her charge peaking over the arm of the sofa. Then Sunset ducked back down. "Hmm... and... done!" With a large smile on her face now that her daily report was done, Ami leaned back and stretched out her arms. The first sign of there being something amiss though was when she felt the seat cushions depress. When she turned though, she was met with the sight of Sunset having climbed up onto the couch and lunging forward. "GAH!"

The wind driven from her, Ami blinked and looked down at Sunset who was now laying across her lap. "{ _Done with tapping-thing, Mama-Ami?_ }"

With a sigh, Ami shook her head in amusement. "Yes, I'm all done."

Her mouth slightly open, Sunset gave a small growl as her tongue lolled out. "{ _Is good. Rub tummy?_ }"

All Ami did was facepalm in amusement. "Behold, the great and terrifying carnosaur." Nonetheless, Ami reached down and began to rub Sunset's stomach much to the dinosaur's happiness. "So then, Sunset, mind if I ask you a few questions?"

Eye hooded, Sunset nodded before laying her head back as Ami scratched at a spot. "{ _Ooo! Right there, Mama-Ami!_ }"

Giggling softly, Ami hummed a bit. "Well... it's about how I'm supposed to train you for the visitors." Sunset opened her eye and watched Ami closely. "It's not just feeding you, though we've yet to decide what to feed you. Probably chickens though or something."

Softly growling, Sunset chewed on the air for a bit. "{ _Like chickens much! Yummy. But also like Pink-Things, Furry-Jumpers, and Long-Tails._ }"

As she nodded, Ami hummed. "Well, I'll try and see how many pigs, rabbits, and rats I can get for you. That said though, I think that we can take it a bit further." Knowing that she had Sunset's attention, Ami shook her head. "For one thing, I'll be in the paddock with you feeding you. Which brings me to the next point... do you know why I taught you to stop eatng when I put my hand on your bowl?"

Tilting her head slightly, Sunset bobbed her head like she had seen Ami and the other humans do. "{ _You showing dominance. Mean that you decide when I can eat and what. Know this already, Mama-Ami._ }"

While she nodded, Ami chuckled. "Pretty much, which means that one of the things that I might do is hand feed you. Something else that I've been thinking of is... you know how you like rolling around that ball of yours, right?"

Confused, Sunset barked. "{ _Yup! Love ball, is fun._ }"

Still smiling, Ami scratched underneath Sunset's chin. "Well, another thing that I might do is be in the paddock and we can roll a much _bigger_ ball back and forth between us. Stuff like that."

Her eye wide, Sunset let out a small roar. "{ _Sound fun! Would like to do that!_ }"

Finally stopping her scratching, Ami picked up Sunset and then set her down. "Great, that sounds like we got ourselves a plan... in the meantime though, I think that you might be a bit hungry so I got you a little special something."

Blinking, Sunset followed behind Ami as the handler headed into her kitchen. "{ _Got treat? What where?_ }"

The smile still on her face, Ami opened up a cooler and pulled out a large fish which Sunset looked at in hunger. "I got you a nice fish for your dinner." Holding it by the tail, Ami brought it down to head height and a few minutes later, Sunset gobbled down the last bit with a relaxed roar. "I thought that you might like that..."

* * *

The next day, Jenkins was walking along when he spotted Ami sitting down. In front of her was Sunset, who she was gently stroking, which caused the Compy trainer to smile some before he walked over. "Hey there, Ami, Sunset. And how are the two of you today?"

Looking up, Ami gave a smile to her fellow handler. "Pretty good so far, we're just taking a small break from training is all." Her hand on Sunset's jaw, Ami grinned. "Isn't that right, Sunset?"

In reply, Sunset gave a small bark. "{ _Yup!_ }"

Of course, Jenkins couldn't understand her but smiled nonetheless. "That's great to hear you two."

Suddenly thoughtful, Ami looked over at him with a slight frown. "You worked at the IQ Zoo, right?" After he nodded, Ami continued. "So you've seen some impressive examples of training, right?"

Raising an eyebrow at her, Jenkins shrugged. "Yeah, I've seen some neat examples of what you can train an animal to do, why?"

As she pulled away her hand from Sunset's jaw, Ami hummed. "Well, I saw this documentary recently about animal skills. And I decided to try them with Sunset considering she seems really intelligent..." Not said was that she had seen the documentary two days earlier. "Mind giving me your opinion?"

More then a little interested, and not minding spending some time with her, Jenkins just shook his head. "Not at all."

Pulling out a clicker, Ami cleared her throat and clicked it twice to catch Sunset's attention. "Okay, Sunset. Count to... six."

For a moment Sunset had her head tilted, but then she brought up her bad foot and then stomped it six times. Blinking, Jenkins smiled a bit. "Okay, that's pretty cool. Mind if I try something?" All Ami did was gesture for him to continue. "Okay, give me nine, Sunset." Once more, Sunset stomped her foot nine times. "Not bad..."

With a grin, Ami shook her head. "You've not seen anything. Sunset."

She then held up three fingers and Jenkins eyes widened as Sunset stomped three times. 'What in the...'

However, Ami wasn't done as she pulled out a piece of paper and then wrote a "7" onto it before holding it for Sunset to see. "Okay, Sunset. Count it out."

It took a few seconds for Sunset to remember, but she stomped seven times which caused Jenkins to slump into his seat. "The fuck..." Before Ami could say anything, Jenkins turned to her with wide eyes. "How many numbers does she know and how long did it take you to train her in them?"

Frowning slightly, Ami coughed. "Well... I wanted to keep it a bit easier so she can count up to ten verbal, finger, or written. And it's taken me a bit to get there with her..." Ami then turned back to Sunset who was laying down and watching. 'And most of that was me explaining and showing her what I meant.'

Nearly a minute passed before Jenkins ran a hand through his hair. "Okay... just how smart do you think Sunset is, Ami?"

Eyebrows furrowed, Ami shook her head. "Pretty damn smart actually. She's managed to escape from the pen I set up for her at least once and figured out how to pull out my drawers so she could get up onto my bed. Why?"

Jenkins just watched Sunset closely. "Because being able to figure out numbers that easily says something about her ability. And normally it takes a lot longer to teach animals to count via training but..." Shaking off his thoughts, Jenkins hummed a bit. "You know, have you thought about teaching her more about how to count? Or other things?"

Slowly, Ami raised an eyebrow. "Yes? I've even thought about teaching her to read to an extent."

Leaning forward, Jenkins frowned a bit. "Because you could be onto something here..." As he shook his head, Jenkins chuckled a bit. "Maybe even another Alex..."


	27. Chapter 27

Disclaimer: Jurassic World is owned by Universal Pictures

" _Hello?_ " -Phone or radio.

"{ _Alpha!_ }" -Dinosaur language.

* * *

Standing in front of one of the incubators, Claire frowned as she leaned in to look closer. "So these are the Dilophosaurus eggs..."

Owen just crossed his arms and shook his head as he also looked at the eggs before he turned toward Gerry. "Where did you even find them?"

There was a grimace on Gerry's face before he slowly shook his head. "I got a report from ACU that there was an injured female Dilophosaurus close to the fence on the Restricted Area side. From the looks of her wounds, she probably got into a fight and Rexy confirmed it." At Claire's raised eyebrow, the vet shrugged as he made sure no one was within hearing range. "According to Rexy, she got driven out of her pack by the Matriarch because her mate was dead and they didn't have enough to support her. That said, apparently she'll accept you as her new Matriarch if she survives."

Frowning, Owen raised an eyebrow at him. "Seriously?" When Gerry nodded, he only shook his head before he turned and gave Claire a grin. "Congratulations."

However, Claire only rolled her eyes at him before she frowned. "Hmm... but how did you get the eggs from her?"

With a sigh, Gerry ran his hand through his hair. "That? Apparently her body couldn't wait any longer to lay them, injured or not. I just had one of my assistants take away the eggs as they came out as I worked on her." He then shook his head slowly. "Rainy season is the main mating and laying season for the dinosaurs."

A slight frown on her face, Claire tapped her fingers against one of the desks she stood by. "That brings up a good question though... Who should be their handler?"

Gerry just crossed his arms. "I'd say your best bet is Jackie." That got him a raised eyebrow from both Owen and Claire so he snorted. "Her dad worked in the first park as the head handler for the dilophosaurs... And she helped him with the hatchlings, feeding them and such. _Not_ that he was supposed to though."

For almost a minute, Claire was silent before she slowly nodded. "I'll consider it."

Walking around the incubator, Owen snorted. "So how are you going to handle the males?" At their looks of confusion, Owen waved a hand at the eggs. "Some of those are probably going to hatch as males you know."

Confused, Claire just stared at him. "We know how to induce the gender change, Owen. As per the Hammond Protocol."

 _That_ brought him up short as he looked between Claire and Gerry. "'Hammond Protocol'?"

Sharing a look with Claire, Gerry turned back to the raptor handler. "Owen... you do know what that is, right?"

At the shake of his head, Claire stared at him before she sighed and rubbed the side of her head. "Well... I know that you remember how there's emergency generators here in the Innovation Center which can keep the incubators going for a few weeks?" Owen just nodded and gestured for her to continued. "The park is highly automated unless humans interfere with it. The Hammond Protocols were created in case the park, for whatever reason, was permanently abandoned. 'Life finds a way' and such."

His eyebrows furrowed, Owen slowly nodded. "Okay, I can understand that. What? It lets out the animals?"

With a slight frown, Claire rubbed her arms. "The agreement is that if the park should ever happen to fail, Nublar would become a preserve much like Sorna. To that end, the automated park would work in stages to make the transition as easy on the animals as possible. For example, for the animals there's two weeks of food for the predators in the park, three for the herbivores. If no one has arrived to reclaim the park, then the systems will begin to fail one by one. First, the predators outside the mosasaur will be released as the magnetic locks on their paddock gates are released. _All_ of them have a counterweight released to open them. At the same time, the gates to the Restricted Area are also released allowing for animals to come and go. It was thought that the predators would leave for the most part."

Gerry then took over. "When we reach three weeks, the herbivores are released. It's hoped that the predators would have mostly left by that point. The gates between the lagoon and the rivers that we use for water are opened, so fish and such can enter the lagoon. And considering that most of the dinosaurs will be attracted by the water and the lagoon's main inhabitant is cold blooded, it would be like an African watering hole with a large crocodile in it."

Now thoughtful, Owen leaned against the desk a bit. "Okay... I can see that a lot of thought was put into it... But what does that have to do with gender changing?"

As she frowned, Claire glanced at Gerry and then cleared her throat. "This is a company secret and not to be talked about to anyone outside the park, _at all_." Getting a nod from Owen, Claire let out a deep breath. "Masrani has stated that we have made sure that what happened with the original park won't happen with Jurassic World, and that's true. _However_ , that's because it wouldn't be by accident."

Straightening, Owen looked between the two of them. "Wait, wait, wait... are you saying what I think you are?"

Nodding, Gerry grunted. "Within each of the herds and packs, there's a handful of animals with a special genetic trigger that can be activated through the use of a specific chemical trigger. Before the animals are released, the chemical trigger is sprayed over their food over a period of three days. Because of that, the trigger gene is activated and then transforms them from female to male allowing for them to breed naturally. One of the jobs we have in the veterinary department is monitoring the implants and making thorough checks on each animals every month to keep an eye out for gender transformation. if they do, we simply use the trigger chemical's counterpart to reverse it. We even tested it before the park opened to see if it would work and it did."

Utterly speechless, Owen paced a bit before he suddenly stopped. "Wait... you said every pack and herd. Does that include..." At their nods, he narrowed his eyes. "Which one of my girls...?"

Even as she felt a headache come on, Claire sighed. "That would be Delta who was determined to be the one to carry the gene..." Suddenly, she frowned as something occurred to her. "I could have sworn that you would have been informed of that as well as the rest before now... unless..."

Growling not unlike his raptors, Owen hit the table. "Fucking Hoskins. No wonder that bastard always called Delta a 'boy', he fucking _knew_. That goddamn son of a bitch!"

For a little bit, Claire let him fume until she sighed. "Done?" When he glared at her, she just shrugged. "If you want, I can put you on Compy Roundup to get it out of your system."

At the mention of the punishment detail for members of ACU, Owen winced. "No thank you... Besides, isn't that Jenkins' job anyways?"

With a slight smile, Claire shook her head a bit. "Jenkins is busy with his Compys and helping Ami out with a project to train Sunset. Besides which, some of the restaurants and the grocery store have reported that something's been knocking over garbage receptacles and scavenging. So if you need a way to let it out...?" Getting a grimace from her boyfriend, the red head chuckled. "I'll take that as a no..."

* * *

Leaning back, Lowery stretched as he continued to watch the video of the USVs currently circling around the new island. Part of him was bored though as most of the lava was obscured by billowing steam. "So, you give it any more thought?"

Slightly confused, Vivian blinked and looked over at him. "Say again?"

However, Lowery waved a hand around as he switched the view to another USV. "About if you were able to transform into a dinosaur, which one would it be."

For a brief moment, Vivian nearly panicked and looked around before she calmed down as she remembered that it wasn't exactly the type of question that would reveal too much. After all, other employees had conversations regarding which dinosaur they wished that they could be if given a chance. Taking a calming breath, she shook her head. "Didn't really give it much thought but... I think that I would like to be a Gallimimus."

That got her a raised eyebrow from Lowery, even as he noted the gas levels in the air around the new island. "I would have thought that you would go for something like a mosasaur or nothosaurus like on Sorna."

Giving him a glare, Vivian grumbled some. "Just because my last name is Krill..."

Lowery just held up his hands. "Just joking. So why Gallimimus?"

Even though there was still a slight glare, Vivian's expression softened a bit. "I just really like them. They really are beautiful and graceful... and run really fast."

Snorting, Lowery grinned a bit. "I can see why that could be useful here."

With a hum, Vivian turned toward him with a raised eyebrow. "What about you? What dinosaur would you become?"

There was a smirk on Lowery's face as he stared at the ceiling. "Me? Dilophosaurus for sure."

Now curious, Vivian raised an eyebrow at him. "Why them?"

Grinning, Lowery held his hands behind his head. "You know the first park, right?" At her nod, he continued. "The head programmer, the guy who sabotaged the whole thing, Dennis Nedry? He got killed by a dilophosaur from what I read. So might as well get on their good side just in case they got a taste for computer geek flesh. Besides, the whole spitting poison thing is pretty cool too." He then held his hands beside his head, with his palms and fingers spread. "Hissssss!"

Vivian only rolled her eyes at him with a slight smile on her face as she tried to keep from laughing. "Somehow, I expected as much." It was then that she noted something on her screen and frowned as her eyebrows furrowed. "Lowery? Mind checking USV-08?"

Already bringing it up, Lowery frowned a bit. "USV-08? Isn't that one of the two doing the run around Caldero del Diablo?"

Nodding, Vivian brought up the video from the other one there, USV-09. It showed the crater of the volcano nearly invisible under the sheer amount of steam. "Yeah, it should be on the opposite side of the volcano from 09."

His eyebrow raised, Lowery brought up the data and whistled. "Damn... that's a lot of volcanic gas there." Quickly tapping some keys, he brought up the video and frowned a bit. "There's nothing there... Weird."

A frown was on Vivian's face as she looked up and saw that, as Lowery said, there was nothing wrong with the face of the volcano. However, she soon spotted something. "Wait... zoom out and look down at the water..."

Giving her a look, Lowery did so and then blinked at the sight of steam coming from the water along with trails of bubbles every once in a while. "Huh... now there's something that you don't see everyday. Sending the data to the USGS team now... water temperature is... ten degrees below boiling. Shit, looks like a hot spring must have opened up underneath the surface."

Frowning, Vivian just shook her head. "Yeah, probably... still, I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing."

While he leaned back, Lowery shrugged. "I'll leave that up to the USGS. Still..." The modified RHIB passed by a dead fish floating in the water. "I'm happy sticking right here, thank you."

That only got him a nod from Vivian. "Agreed..."

* * *

Claw hooking into the giant fish, Jess brought it up to her mouth and smiled a bit. "Thanks for bringing me my dinner, Nima."

From where she leaned against the table, Nima just watched with a slight smile as Jess tossed back the fish and swallowed it nearly whole. "It wasn't much of a bother, Jess. Besides, Gerry asked for me to help out while he's checking that raptor's burns."

Grabbing another fish, Jess gave Nima a look. "By the way... you've been acting rather odd recently." At the look, Jess wished that she could roll her eyes. "You've been really quiet recently, something wrong?"

Nima only frowned as Jess devoured the fish, it's body vanishing within her crocodilian jaws. "It's not something wrong as much as... you know about my father, right?"

Slightly confused, Jess nodded a bit as she padded forward until she was sort of sitting, or the best she could do so as a Baryonyx. "Yes? You told me and Atlanta all sorts of stories about him and growing up, why?"

Letting out a sigh, the older woman shook her head. "My father, he was the spiritual man of our tribe, the healer. I think that the best that you might have is to think of him as the shaman." Now with a far off expression, Nima frowned. "As a little girl, he always tried to tell me about the old stories. About magic which I always dismissed. But..."

Now understanding what the matter was, Jess nodded as one hand came up and clutched at the amulet currently fused with her skin. "And now with the amulet, all those stories are coming back? Because now you know about how magic is real?"

With a nod, Nima sighed. "It's not just that, Jess. But... how many of his stories, how many of the legends he told were true?"

Swallowing another fish, Jess thought it over as it settled in her stomach before she gave the best frown that she could. "That... is a good point actually. If magic exists, then what types do? I mean... this amulet for example." She tapped the amulet with a slight ding. "Being able to transform into animals? What if that's what stuff like stories about werewolves came from?"

Having seen some of the movies, Nima snorted. "Yes, perhaps."

It was then that her phone dinged and she looked at it with a smile, which caused Jess to smirk. "Let me guess, dad wants you to meet him somewhere?"

There was the slightest bit of a blush on Nima's face as she nodded. "Apparently he wants to discuss some things over dinner."

While she scoffed, Jess shook her head. "Bullshit." Her expression then softened as well as it could considering she was a dinosaur. "I still don't understand why neither of you two ever tied the knot. I would have loved to be able to call you mom in public, you know."

On Nima's face, there was a similar expression. "I know, Pez Pequeña. But that just did not matter much to us then or now. And your father has not had the best luck with that." Looking out at the setting sun, Nima hummed a bit. "But I think that I have more then enough time to spend before I meet Gerry. And it won't be for a few days yet before Mariquita arrives..."

Jess grinned showing a large number of sharp teeth. "I can't wait to see her again." Her eyes then narrowed a bit. "And I am _so_ getting her back for the last time when she scared the fuck out of me."

That only caused Nima to laugh.

* * *

If one was to ask William Jones, it wasn't too bad being a volcanologist. He got to travel across the world, see new places and people, and enjoy the excitement. If you were to ask him what he really disliked, he would say the boredom that sometimes set in during the waiting. And at the current time, it was one of those times. Having been given the night shift, he was currently the only one up as he kept an eye on the various instruments scattered around. The only other ones up were the ACU members patrolling the walls and small compound as well as the members of the USGS team. But no one was around in the main building.

Which was why he was currently leaned back in his chair throwing a ball into the air and catching it over and over as the clock ticked on past midnight. That was not to say that he was not keeping a eye on the various monitors scattered around the small room. But it was something to keep the blood flowing a little bit. 'Ugh... I hate drawing the short straw.' Sighing, William put the ball down and then got up as he walked over to the coffee pot and poured himself a mug.

On his way back, he noticed one of the seismometers scribbling something and looked down. For several moments he puzzled over what he was seeing before his eyebrows furrowed as he put it together. 'Long period events? Wait... which ones are these from?' Setting down his mug, he grabbed the paper and began to look it over with a frown. "Cauldero del Diablo?" Running a finger along them, his frown became more pronounced. "They're coming in more often which means..."

His eyes then widened as it clicked. "The magma's pressurizing big time... oh, fuck me."

As he took off to wake up the rest of the team, the seismometers took note of even more such events happening.

* * *

Throughout Nublar, various animals slept uneasily, their instincts telling them that something was up nearby. In the paddock she was using, Jess' eye snapped open as she looked around tiredly and in confusion at what awoke her. And over in Owen's bungalow, both humans were tossing and turning while the Raptor Squad shifted in their slumber.

Even Ami and Sunset were not left alone. In her bed, Ami was kicking out with her feet as Sunset awoke in her nest and looked around. 'Hmm? Why wake?' Moments later, Sunset fully snapped awake as there was a far off rumble and the whole room trembled. "{ _MAMA-AMI!_ }"

In a snap, Ami woke up with her pupils slitted for a moment before she sat up as she looked around before leaping from her bed and grabbing Sunset. Holding the small dinosaur to her chest, she rushed into the kitchen and got under the table as everything shook. Sunset just made cries of fear as Ami held her close. "Shhh... shhh... it's okay, Sunset, everything is going to be okay..."

At Owen's bungalow, Owen and Claire awoke with a start as did the Raptor Squad as the place trembled and shook. Screeching, Blue and the others crowded around a frightened Charlie in a protective position while a shocked Grace fell off the couch. "Fuck!"

Twenty miles from the northern tip of Nublar, the small crater that had formed from steam explosions cracked open fully as a bellowing cloud of steam, ash, and pumice exploded outwards as the earthquake tore fissures in the ground. Meanwhile, at the northern side of the mountain, USV-09 only had moments of video of the seas boiling and churning before an explosion from beneath it destroyed it as a secondary, underwater, fissure opened up.

Doctor MacDonald rushed from her sleeping quarters followed by William and both of them stopped and looked northward. They could _just_ see a climbing tower of darkness streaked through with lightning in the distance. And even then, only because it blotted out the light of the stars as it climbed upwards.

Slowly, the trembling stopped and from where she was, Rexy took one look around before turning and bulldozing anything in her way as she headed toward where Owen's bungalow was. 'Must see if Tall-Daughter and others okay...'

* * *

Taking a deep breath in the active control room, Claire let it out as she placed her now empty coffee mug on the table. Moments later, one of the techs grabbed it and left to refill it. "Okay, Doctor... what _exactly_ is happening?! We just had a Magnitude five earthquake as well as what sounded like an explosion."

On the screen, Doctor MacDonald ran her hand through her hair, still slightly frazzled. "Cauldero del Diablo just erupted from two vents. So far, it's just a Vulcanian eruption and from the looks of things, it'll be scaled as a mid VEI Three."

Her eyebrows furrowed, Claire tried to piece together what she was being told before she shook her head with a growl. "Plain English, doctor. I need to know now if I need to evacuate the island or not."

A coffee was handed to MacDonald just off screen and she blew on it. "Vulcanian is what type of eruption we're dealing with. To put it at it's most basic, the eruption is highly silica rich, moderate in gas and water. Such eruptions start off with steam explosions and then one single eruption that clears the vent, which is what happened tonight. As for VEI, that stands for 'Volcanic Explosivity Index' and describes how explosive and how much material. VEI Three is on the low scale generally. For example, Mount St. Helens in 1980 was a VEI Five."

Frowning, Claire slowly nodded as she grabbed her now refilled coffee mug, her eyes catching sight of Rexy in her human form watching the video of the eruption playing on another screen. "And how much danger are we in?"

With a hum, Doctor MacDonald leaned back in her chair and shook her head. "Very little for the most part. Currently the ash cloud is approximately six miles in height and drifting westward. At the most, if the wind shifts then Jurassic World and Nublar as a whole might get a very light coating of ash. But that's about the current danger for the island at the current level, but we have warned the authorities in Costa Rica since they need to divert air traffic around the plume. Going by historical records... the eruption should calm down greatly within a few days or weeks at most. Probably shifting to a more Strombolian eruption."

Relieved, Claire slumped into her chair thankful for that. "Thank God for small mercies..."

Meanwhile, Owen frowned a bit from where he was standing behind Claire. "What about the roar just after the eruption?"

As she chuckled, Doctor MacDonald shook her head. "The sudden release of pressure caused the floors for the vents on Nueva Nublar to drop and cause some collapses on the cones. However, the pressure's returned now there and from what we can see, the new crater floor is filling with magma as a lava lake."

Several minutes later, the conference ended and Claire turned toward Lowery and Vivian. "Okay, I need to send out a message to all employees on the island. Make _sure_ that they know that there is no danger to their lives at the moment." A glance at the clock caused her to sigh as Lowery and Vivian got to work. 'Only Three AM and already I can tell that this is going to be a busy day...'

Owen walked up and placed a hand on her shoulder and squeezed. "I'll get the other handlers all together then, that way we can have a meeting over this and discuss things. If that cloud drifts over the island, then we'll need to get every animal out of the ash and give them uncontaminated food."

Patting his hand, Claire gave him a tired smile. "Thank you." Glancing at her phone, she grimaced a bit. "While you do that, I'll handle other issues..."

Already knowing about what was likely on her phone, Owen only nodded before he turned her around and gave her a kiss on the forehead. "I'll try and catch something with you later."

With some last nods, the two separated and went about to do their own thing. Meanwhile, Rexy just continued to watch the eruption on the video with a slightly thoughtful expression. 'Am normally so big and powerful. Yet this is much bigger and more powerful then even I am...' It was then that a thought struck her and caused her to rumble out a laugh which drew some looks. 'Makes me feel small, like I make humans feel small... I can understand what Old-Smile meant now...'

* * *

As she did another patrol around the bungalow, Blue tilted her head as she spotted Sunset swimming around a section of the lake. The ceratosaurus had been dropped off earlier by Ami as she had to go to the meeting called by Owen and she knew Sunset would be taken care of by Barry. Sunset hadn't liked it much, but had gone along with it. However, her current behaviour near to the boat ramp for the lake caused Blue to blink. 'What is hatchling doing?' Curious, Blue walked up and watched Sunset dive under the surface. It said something that the raptor almost panicked after two minutes, only to be relieved as Sunset broke the surface. "{ _What doing?_ }"

Blinking water from her eye, Sunset glanced at Blue and softly snorted. "{ _Am hunting._ }"

With that, she dove back under and Blue could just make her out as she swam above some weeds. "{ _Is hunting? Hunting what?_ }" Still confused, Blue looked up as she heard the crunching of gravel and could see Gerry's truck pull up with a trailer in the back. Transforming into her human form, she walked over in time to see Gerry step out of the cab along with Rexy. "Is pack okay?"

That only got her a chuckle as Gerry nodded and made his way to the back as at the same time, Barry stepped out onto the deck to watch. "Yes, Blue, your sisters are okay. Echo only has a few burns left to heal and Delta's bones are nearly fully knit. Just... Go easy for at least a week with the two of them, okay?"

Nodding, Blue grinned before she furrowed her eyebrows as she thought out her response. "Yes, I will go easy on them."

A small smile crossed Gerry's face as he shook his head and walked to the back of the trailer. "You're getting better at speaking like a human. Good to see." Unlocking the door, he opened it before stepping in. "Okay you two, give me a second."

While Gerry was doing that, Rexy turned to where Blue was watching her before the transformed raptor began to question her. "What happened? Why earth shake and sky boom? Daddy was scared and didn't like it."

Under other circumstances, Rexy might have snorted, but she could see the worry in Blue's eyes. "Is just volcano, they said it erupted. Looks like it go boom like sand does when Booming-Light hits it. Strange cloud over there from it."

Turning in the direction that Rexy pointed, Blue could see a cloud that was climbing into the sky in the distance. "I see. Is danger?"

Rexy only shrugged. "Humans worried some, but not much. If danger then not big danger yet." Suddenly she grinned. "Made me feel small when see it on screen."

Eyes wide, Blue stared. "Make you feel small, Stern-One?"

That got her a nod. "Yes, make me feel small, liked it." Hearing a splash, she turned in time to see Sunset break the surface and take some breaths before she dove again. "What is Sunset doing?"

Shrugging like she had seen Owen and other do, Blue frowned. "Do not know, says is hunting but what hunt? Is in water."

Of course, moments later Echo bounded out of the trailer along with Delta as Gerry cursed. Looking at them, Blue noted that both had far less bandages and casts on them. Delta then blinked and looked around. "{ _Sunset-Hatchling is hunting in water?_ }"

With a nod, Blue was about to explain when suddenly loud splashes could be heard and they all turned to the boat ramp where the water was being whipped into a fury. Eyes wide, Blue began to run toward the ramp. "SUNSET!"

She wasn't alone as her sisters, Rexy, and Gerry also began to run toward the ramp and where Sunset could be seen in the middle of the thrashing water. Even Barry took off as Charlie poked her head out of the window with Grace. Meanwhile, Blue could hear a strange sound from the water before Sunset brought her head down on something and gripped it tightly in her jaws. There was soon the crunch of something and whatever Sunset was fighting stopped moving. Once they got close enough, Gerry saw what it was and gave a whistle. "So that was what she was after... A lungfish."

The little dinosaur looked up with her mouth wide open as she panted. "{ _Was good hunt, but catch big Swimming-Breather! Did good?_ }"

Somewhat in awe of the fish nearly as big as Sunset, Blue only nodded. "Did a very good hunt, catch very big prey, Sunset!"

Grunting, Rexy nodded as she walked down to the water's edge where an exhausted Sunset laid. "Was very good, impressive prey you caught."

Exhausted from the struggle, Sunset just laid there. "{ _Am glad, think Mama-Ami be happy with prey caught?_ }"

Reaching them, Barry raised an eyebrow. "And what is our little fisherman saying, Blue." Once she told him, he grinned. "Well then, how about we make sure that she can see it." Pulling out his phone, he pointed the camera at Sunset and the fish before he took a picture. "And there we go. We can show Ami what her fierce hunter can do."

Seeing the picture, Blue nodded. "Yes!" A splash caused her to turn and see Rexy step into the water before the transformed dinosaur lifted the tired Sunset out and into her arms. "Will take prey then so that Sunset can eat near nest."

Once she had transformed back into a raptor, Blue picked up the fish with some trouble. After it was inside, Grace looked it over in confusion. "What the hell? This looks like one of those lungfish I saw in a book a few years back..."

With a hum, Gerry shrugged his shoulders. "It should seeing as it is a lungfish." At Grace's curious expression, the vet shook his head. "Ceratodus _nublarensis_ is the name the labs gave it."

That caused Grace to raise her eyebrow. "Wait... so it's something from the park?"

Chuckling, the vet shook his head. "From the first park actually." Upon seeing everyone focus in on him, he smiled. "Back then, one of the rides planned was similar to the Cretaceous Cruise, it was called the Jungle River Cruise. Same basic idea, though they would be on a boat as a group. As part of the plan for the park was to have more prehistoric animals then just dinosaurs, you had smaller groups working on those. The giant dragonflies over on Sorna are one example of what was worked on. The lungfish here on Nublar and on Sorna were also created in the same project."

Her eyebrows furrowed, Grace frowned. "You mean, cloned, right?"

As he shook his head, Gerry kept an eye on Sunset as she recovered from her exertion. "No, I mean created. While we like to claim we get all the DNA from mosquitos, that's not quite true. There's a number of insects that can yield DNA inside of amber such as mites and other biting insects... then you have what look like flies which would land on a dead animal and feed on it before flying off and becoming trapped. It's how we got the DNA for the mosasaur for example. With Ceratodus though, from the files it was patched together from what was likely several related species. Any gaps left were filled in using DNA from the Queensland lungfish. They get pretty big though, almost as big as a grown man."

The tone of her voice dry, Grace snorted. "Remind me to be careful if I go for a swim then."

Having tuned out the conversation, Blue tilted her head as she watched Sunset begin to push the lungfish towards a curious Charlie. "{ _What are you doing?_ }"

Sunset turned and looked up at Blue. "{ _Big prey, so share with pack. Charlie hurt most, so gets most._ }"

More then a little confused, Echo tilted her head to the side as she leaned down. "{ _But you kill prey, is yours._ }"

Now it was Sunset's turn to be confused as she looked between the members of the Raptor Squad. "{ _But thought that it right to share with pack? Was told that we all pack by Alpha-Claire, so share kill with pack._ }"

For several moments, Blue thought this over before she nodded as she remembered being told something similar by Owen and Claire, though that was in regards to how she was part of the park. "{ _Hatchling-Sunset is right! Remember Daddy saying same, so Hatchling-Sunset part of pack! Pack growing more and more! Hatchling-Sunset still growing and so gets biggest amount..._ }" There was amusement dancing in her eyes as she continued. "{ _Stern-One get smallest._ }"

Giving her an annoyed look, Rexy narrowed her eyes. Then she snorted before she reacted and did something that she had seen humans do to other humans acting like Blue just did before.

By promptly smacking said raptor upside the head.

Ignoring the glare being given to her, Rexy just smiled and nodded her head. "Not hungry now, but will have some later." With some grumbles, the Squad waited until Sunset took a big chunk before each one took a small bite. After that though, they left the rest for Sunset to eat.


	28. Chapter 28

Disclaimer: Jurassic World is owned by Universal Pictures

" _Hello?_ " -Phone or radio.

"{ _Alpha!_ }" -Dinosaur language.

* * *

It said something about Tim that he barely reacted to the sound of someone flopping down on one of the chairs in front of his desk. Raising an eyebrow, Tim snorted at the sight of his sister there. "So... Any particular reason that you decided to drop in?"

All she did though was smile back at him. "What? Can't a sister go and visit her baby brother?" Getting a snort, she rolled her eyes. "Fine, with everything going on I decided to come and check on you."

His tone utterly dry, Tim just kept working. "Ah yes, and I am sure that you don't have work yourself at your company, what with all the recent shit going down." Glancing over at her, he raised a single eyebrow. "Or are you telling me that the mess with BioSyn isn't affecting you any."

Lex only smirked as she waved a finger around in the air. "One of the benefits of being only in the crop business. It means that when stuff like this goes down, I'm relatively unaffected compared to, say, you." A moment later, she pulled a ball from her pocket and began to toss it into the air. "Besides, we'll be rolling out a new form of dwarf citrus soon enough. Besides being able to self-pollinate like usual, it's also self-fertilizing and fungal resistant as well."

However, Tim grunted as he continued to work. "I see... Well, hopefully it'll work seeing as I have stock in your company. And I also hope that you like the newest samples from Nublar's botanical lab."

That caused Lex to smile a bit as she tossed the ball again and caught it. "All my people were drooling over some of the possibilities actually. We're hoping to get some genes out of them to improve our own stuff." Hearing another grunt, she sighed. "Tim, look, I know that you're under a lot of pressure but relax. And before you ask, I already heard about the eruption, what with it all over the news."

Slowly, Tim turned to her with a frown. "Just like I got about eighty people outside right now declaring what I do is an affront to God? And that the Indominus and the current eruption are more signs of that?"

His sister only shrugged. "Masrani has about a hundred in front of their headquarters including Westboro. And I got about thirty in front of my offices, despite all the work we do. Comes with the territory..." Tossing the ball into the air, she caught it one final time before examining it. "And sometimes, I wonder if they're really all that far off the mark."

Now it was Tim's turn for his tone to become teasing. "That's not the Lex I know."

Getting a snort from her, Lex raised an eyebrow at him before grinning. "You know what you need? A visit from good old Al, that's what."

Slowly, a sigh escaped from Tim as he furrowed his eyebrows and rubbed the side of his head. "Lex..."

However, Lex just continued on. "You know, the two of you get together for a night on the town. Al and you dining and dancing the night away. Arms hooked together..." At his annoyed look, her grin widened. "Followed by going to your residence or a hotel and..."

Barely dodging the stress ball, she began to laugh at how red her brother's face was. "For fuck's sake, Lex! Why the hell do you have to make it sound like I'm dating a guy! You know that her name isn't Al and she hates you calling her that."

Still grinning, Lex brought her laughter down to snickers. "Because it annoys the both of you? Also, I'm your big sister, it's my job to piss you off at times." Her expression then softened. "You know though that I approve of her... She makes you happy after all."

A soft smile on his face, Tim gave her a nod. "Something that the two of us appreciate."

There was a similar smile on Lex's face. "Don't mention it, Tim. Though how the hell the two of you got together is beyond me. Bet you that Grandpa would be rolling in his grave, from laughter."

Rolling his eyes, Tim had to snort. "Especially as she did hate me when she realized who my grandfather was. Though we got over that... With help from her mother surprisingly enough."

With a hum, Lex smiled. "Yeah, I remember you coming back from that backpacking trip in Costa Rica you took after you graduated business school. Especially with how you still had a bit of a shiner on your face."

Laughing a bit, Tim shook his head. "She has a mean right hook, I'll say that for my ladybug." After a few moments, the laughter died down. "I'm glad that we worked it out though and that her mother has no ill will to me." His expression took on a far off aspect as he nodded. "I probably wouldn't have been able to get through being on Nublar to spread some of Grandpa's ashes without her by my side."

As she shuddered and rubbed her arms, Lex just gave him a look. "I still can't believe that you revisited that place."

It was with a thoughtful expression on Tim's face as he leaned back from his computer. "You weren't there, Lex. It's just... It was his final request, for some of his ashes to be spread there. But, I _swear_ that it felt like he was still there, you know? That he's still on that island, but happy. Sometimes I dream and he's there as well. Just wandering the jungles with a smile and a laugh."

Lex's tone turned bone dry as she looked at Tim. "Have I ever told you how creepy that is?"

Giving her a smirk, Tim shrugged. "All the damn time?"

Of course, that was when Lex's eye caught sight of something on Tim's desk. "Grant you, Grandpa wasn't the only one wandering around, seeing as you and Al went and made your way to... That place."

Needless to say, Tim only picked up the non-fossilized raptor claw in his hand and held it to the light. "I needed to put something to rest, Lex. And this reminds me of the same lesson that we all learned back then."

Several moments later, Lex watched as the phone rang and Tim glanced at it. Upon his reaction, she got up with a smile. "And that would be my cue to leave. Don't want to intrude on you two lovebirds."

Just raising an eyebrow, Tim smirked as he picked up the phone. "You sure, Lex? I've already ordered dinner and it's going to be some nice burgers with pulled pork on it." At her look of disgust, he laughed before she gave a playful glare and left. Bringing the phone up to his ear, Tim let out a soft sigh as he looked out onto the city. "Hey, Atlanta... Yeah, I've been busy for a while now..."

* * *

One of Jurassic World's helicopters flew over the lava field that made up what had been named "Nueva Nublar". However, its main attention was on a man in a shiny, silver suit who was climbing toward a lava flow. In the helicopter, Doctor MacDonald tapped her radio. "How are you doing, John? Any issues?"

There was panting over the radio before John's voice came over it. " _You mean besides it being hot as hell even in the suit?_ " Down below, the suited man glanced at the gap where he could see molten rock practically boiling out of the Earth. " _Love the view though._ "

Slowly nodding, Doctor MacDonald let out a sigh. "I won't argue with you over that, John. It's a specatular eruption if nothing else. Just be very careful though, the flows can hit twenty miles an hour. If they head toward you..."

All the man did was wave his hand. " _I know, but we need a sample from as close from the vent as possible to tell what the hell is happening inside her. Besides, danger is part of the job description, Anna._ " Still huffing, he finally reached the flow and looked around as he brought out what looked like a hammer. But before he did anything else, he aimed a gun-like object at the lava. " _Whew, take a guess how hot the flow is?_ "

Cocking an eyebrow, Doctor MacDonald frowned. "Around 1,900 degrees Fahrenheit from our last check."

While he shook his head, the man put the device away. " _Well, I'm a lot closer then we got before, but the temperature is reading in excess of 2,200 degrees Fahrenheit. Might explain why the it's so fluid._ " Picking up the hammer, he tied a wire to it before he began to swing it back and forth. " _Okay... taking sample now._ "

From where she was, Doctor MacDonald watched as the hammer flew out toward the flow and hit the edge. Moments later, it was rapidly pulled back and John doused the sample in water. "How good of a sample did we get?"

A chuckle echoed over the radio as she got her answer. " _Got a nice big one for you, Anna. Heading back to the pickup point._ "

Nodding, the doctor watched as John picked up all his items and began to make his way, carefully, down the cone towards where the helicopter would pick him up. Still keeping an eye on the craters of the cone and the other splatter cones, Anna tapped her radio. "Christina, how are things on your end?"

There was a crackle before Christina's voice came over the radio. " _Well, as we figured the lava delta collapsed in some of the sections. Biggest so far is a fifty foot section that just disappeared into the sea. Can't get too close though, not with the amount of steam in the area. We did find some pumice though that we think came from Caldero del Diablo though, might tell us a thing or two._ "

With a thoughtful expression on her face, Doctor MacDonald took another glimpse at the craters and the lava lake forming between them. "Hopefully we get enough information to know more then a thing or two."

* * *

Groaning, Owen stretched his arms out as he walked out the doors to the control building after a long day of meetings. Part of him wanted to head back in to stay with Claire, but he knew better. 'Might as well get her something to eat for dinner, she'll forget otherwise.' Of course, that was when he heard what sounded like high-pitched chirping and looked around until he found the source, which was some of Jenkins' compys clustered around something. "Hey, Jenkins, I think that your flock found something."

Said handler stopped and looked himself before he shook his head. Walking over, he looked himself and chuckled. "Looks like they found one of those Bufos."

That caused Owen to raise an eyebrow before he frowned as Jenkins didn't do anything. "Aren't you going to stop them? If they can drug one of my raptors then I don't think it's healthy for your compys."

Jenkins just shook his head and grinned a bit. "Nah, I showed them how to hunt and kill them _without_ getting in danger of the poison."

Now curious, Owen tilted his head as he tried to see what they were doing. "Oh?"

Hands in his pocket, Jenkins nodded a bit. "Took a page out of how some birds down in Australia have learned to deal with cane toads." At the look, he jerked his head toward the compys. "Basically, they flip them onto their backs and then eat their bellys. Can't get poisoned that way and from what I can see, the wild compys are copying them... It _should_ bring down the population some at least."

Raising an eyebrow, Owen slowly nodded a bit. "Smart, guess that was why the ACU took you aside after the meeting?"

Much to Owen's surprise, Jenkins only shrugged a bit. "They were kind of interested, but wanted to get my opinion on something." At the look he got, he continued. "They've been getting a lot of activity around the garbage areas. They figured it was either compys or segisaurus so they wanted my opinion on them."

By this point, the compys were done with their meal and trotted over to Jenkins chirping as they looked up at him. Owen only had to glance at what was now a dead, hollowed out toad carcass before he coughed. "Well, I'll leave you to it."

All he got from the compy handler was a nod as Jenkins bent down and gave the small dinosaurs some treats.

* * *

Even though it was late afternoon outside, one wouldn't be able to tell inside the darkened room. On the screen was projected the image of an island that was covered in scrub vegetation with a small, protected cove. One of the men at the table took a sip of water before he addressed Agent Francine from where she stood. "What do we know of Wu's island so far?"

Walking toward a touch screen, she used it to manipulate the projected image. "Just as Doctor Wu stated, the island was exactly where he said. The island itself is only roughly two miles by three. The highest point is this mountain here, and that is about four hundred feet tall. Vegetation is sparse and mostly in the form of grass and scrub. Now, he bought it in 1999 from the Greek government using his personal funds from his book."

Another one of the men narrowed his eyes a bit. "And how did we miss this?"

For a moment, Francine paused before she shook her head. "We were looking at documentation from 2005 onward as well as all business conducted through InGen and Masrani. Eventually we would have discovered it one way or the other. However, the most interesting thing about the island is its history."

That caused some eyebrows to be raised before someone cleared their throat. "History?"

Nodding, Francine tapped something and an image of a mine came up. "The island had a series of mines dug out over hundreds of years. After World War Two, the family who owned the island used the old mines to construct a bomb shelter, though the size is not known. The last member of the family died in 1987 which is why the Greek government took control. We believe that Wu may have been using the bomb shelter as there are only a few above ground buildings."

Looks were shared before the first man nodded. "That is unfortunate. However, small mercies such as it may be the vegetation means nothing of a large size is on the island."

Several nods were shared before Agent Francine continued. "That is our thoughts as well. But what is interesting is a few other things. According to what we have found out, the island is listed as a... summer camp, despite no children ever having been there. We do know that starting in 2006, Wu using various means contracted a number of childcare experts and transported them to the island. Some of the other staff were also put through college courses, paid by the doctor, in regards to dealing with children. Currently, we have a small team on the island performing survailence and observation."

Another picture came up which showed two children walking along a path which caused mutters. They looked human enough, though something was barely off about them. Rubbing her chin, one of Francine's superiors frowned. "Human children?"

Once more, Francine paused before she nodded. "From all appearences, there seems to be human children on the island, the oldest of which we have seen seem to be around ten years of age... but there is more."

She then brought up another picture that caused everyone to straighten before one of them narrowed his eyes at the screen. "Mind explaining what that might be, Agent?"

Taking a deep breath, Francine just looked at the video of three beings, two of which were the children of the previous picture. "Now, _that_ is the question we're all asking..."

* * *

Slowly, the doors to the small, old quarantine building opened up before Gerry walked out into the still damp, humid air. Above, stars sparkled through gaps in the clouds as the Moon also peaked through before he glanced at his watch. 'Midnight... took the storm long enough.' Moments later, he shook it off before he turned back to the building. "Okay, Jess, you can come out now."

A shadowy silhoutte could be seen before it resolved into a Baryonyx as it walked out into the night air. On one of its shoulders were patches of dark scales that some would swear looked like tattoos before dismissing them, same with the small, butterfly shaped patch on one ankle. "Finally... it was getting cramped in there... Ugh, now I know how some of our patients feel."

Chuckling, Gerry just patted her on one shoulder, part of him still disbelieving that this was in fact his daughter. "Well, with understanding, maybe your bedside manner will improve."

That only got him a snort before Jess took a deep breath through her nostils and blinked. "Whoa... okay, that's... _different_." Another whiff and the corners of her mouth turned downward in what passed for a frown. "I know that Owen said the senses were amazing but..."

It was only Gerry who was surprised as Nima piped up from where she was sitting, barely visible in the darkness. "How so?"

Humming, Jess tilted her head some before she frowned. "Well... it's like, I guess... as if I was never able to smell before but suddenly can? Or being half-blind and then having corrective surgery that gave me full sight?"

As he crossed his arms, Gerry raised an eyebrow as he looked up at Jess who was looking around. "Didn't you notice any difference in the building?"

Jess only gave him a snort and a look. "Considering how the whole place smelt of bleach and other cleaning products? It was overpowering, but I didn't really clue in... not until now."

While she examined her rifle, Nima nodded a bit. "Well, Pez Pequeña, it's time to see what you can do." At the look she got from Jess, Nima smirked. "ACU is not in the area as they're back in the main park. So you got all the time to stretch those legs of yours."

Grinning, and showing her many sharp teeth, Jess gave a low whoop. "YES!" After a few moments, she slowly began to move away from where Nima and Gerry were before she slowly sped up to a loping run. From where he stood, Gerry looked down at the device in his hands and nodded. "About the right speed for a Baryonyx."

Her eyes tracking Jess, Nima only hummed before she slung her rifle over her shoulder and got up. Making her way over, she leaned into Gerry's back. "Hmm... wouldn't want to race her."

That only got a soft smile from Gerry. Meanwhile, Jess just pointingly ignored what was going on behind her as her eyes got a glint. Slowly down, she walked over and spotted one of the many small lakes that dotted the area and glanced around. 'I wonder...' Moving forward, Jess entered the lake with only a few small waves as she felt the water wash over her back before she was clear from shore. The transformed human then listened to her instincts and, after one last breath, felt the bony plate in the back of her throat rise up as she submerged. 'This... is so awesome!'

It went without saying that she lost track of time as she swam under the water before splashing caused her to surface to see her father crouching on the shore. "Having fun, Jess?"

Blinking away the water, Jess finally expelled the air from her lungs and took a few breaths before she let her mouth hang open in a smile. "This is just amazing, dad!" A thought then struck her and she blinked. "How long...?"

With a slight smile, Nima shook her head. "About thirty minutes..."

From where he was beside her, Gerry frowned. "How far along did you feel?"

As she thought it over, Jess submerged her head again before once more breaking the surface. "Not that far along... I could probably stay under for at least another twenty minutes if I wanted."

Gerry only nodded as he made some notes. "That seems about right..." Needless to say, Jess spent the next two hours just enjoying her new form, though Gerry did grimace as he watched her gulp down a seven foot long lungfish that she had caught near the end.

* * *

Rooting around in the undergrowth, the wild pig snorted as it gobbled down a lizard. Descended from some of the livestock left behind after the first disaster, it was not much bigger then the pigs Owen's raptor pack trained with. A nuisance to the various gardeners and the like, the pigs were often chased off by Jurassic World staff, with the more aggressive examples put down by ACU. In this case though, neither would be needed.

The first warning the pig got was branches being moved. Stilling, it looked around and thus missed the predator that leapt onto its back. Squeals and snarls could be heard before they were silenced as the predatory dinosaur lifted its head and looked around. More than once, it had to run as the sounds of fighting attracted humans. And that could not be allowed.

Once several moments passed and told it that, no, humans were not coming, it took some bites of the pig before lifting the carcass and trotting off. It didn't take the proceratosaurus much time to reach the still being built Ceratosaurus Paddock, and it took even less time to reach the old utility shed, even as the horizon lightened as dawn approached.

Just before entering though, the predatory dinosaur let out a soft warble, which was answered by one inside the shed. Picking up the pig, the proceratosaur entered the shed and walked around some of the piled debris before coming to a stop. There, before a slowly growing mound of vegetation, a male dug a small hole and then poked his head in. Several moments, he brought it back out and looked at his mate. " _Nest nearly ready for eggs, won't be long._ "

Looking around, the now identified female dropped the pig and looked around. " _Wish could be elsewhere, Soft-Prey make nervous... might find nest and steal eggs!_ "

However, her mate only crooned to her before nuzzling her under her chin. " _Eggs will be good, old nest gone, destroyed by White-Thing hunting Soft-Prey, but new nest good! Eggs be safe here. None come and hunt egg, and good food for hunting! Hatchlings grow big and strong!_ "

After a few moments, the female nodded. " _Is right, Long-Crest. Will be good spot for hatchlings._ " As her mate dug into the pig, the female kept an eye on the door, though she was still worried. 'Wonder why Soft-Prey had Smoke-Sticks? Smelt bad and made us feel funny...' Shaking it off though, she too, dug into the pig.

* * *

Standing in the early morning light on the pier, Claire wished that she had another coffee as she glared at the waves. 'Late to bed, early to rise, makes Claire very cranky, angry, and annoyed.' It went without saying that various people avoided Claire as she stood on the pier. Even Vivian wished she could be elsewhere at the moment, but as she was being trained to be Claire's assistant, she couldn't leave. That was when Claire seemed to perk up a bit as she heard a boat motor. "Ah, they're here."

More then a little confused, Vivian looked around but didn't see or hear anything. "Uh, they are?"

For the first time that morning, a slight smile could be seen on Claire's face as she turned in a direction just past the rocky head of Nublar. "Yes, they should be here in a minute or two."

Vivian still could not hear it, but nodded all the same. And just as Claire said, a boat came into view about two minutes later which caused Vivian to glance at her boss. On Claire's face was a slight smirk as she waited for the boat to pull up to the dock, which was when Vivian noticed the booms on either side. "That... looks like an oil skimmer..."

With her hands clasped behind her back, Claire just nodded. "That would be because it is an oil skimmer, one of those owned by Masrani for our oil interests." Beside her, Vivian blinked and looked at the tablet in her hands. Meanwhile, Claire smiled and nodded at the captain. "Justin, and how are you so far today?"

The man chuckled some as behind him a number of his crew on the small boat began to haul buckets full of what looked like stone to a winch, which lifted them off the boat. "Well, we're doing quite well today, Miss Dearing. What we're doing is certainly something rather different then usual for us after all, but we bought you a good haul."

Curious, Vivian walked over to one of the large buckets and peered into it in confusion. "Stone?"

As she chuckled, Claire shook her head. "Pumice to be exact." When Vivian turned back to her, Claire continued. "The eruptions to the north have created large pumice rafts in the area. Captain Justin here and some other skimmer boats are gathering them up for Jurassic World use."

Raising an eyebrow, Vivian glanced back at the bucket with a frown. "Such as with the spa, right?"

If anything, the smile on Claire's face grew as she plucked a stone around the size of her fist from the bucket. "The larger ones will be used for the spa, and sold as exclusive Jurassic World items. Some of the smaller pieces will be used for landscaping or crushed to be used in concrete for the various attractions being built." Holding the piece in her hands up, Claire rotated it around. "With luck, it should bring costs down in various ways."

After a few moments of thought, Vivian frowned. "Would there be enough for all that?"

Captain Justin only chuckled before he whipped off his cap and wiped his forehead. "Miss... Krill, right?" At her nod, he continued. "Pumice gathers in rafts out in the sea. The one we're harvesting right now is roughly the size of Nublar in surface area, it's just a thin coating on the water. There's going to be enough."

Noticing Vivian's widening eyes, Claire nodded. "And if we run out of reasons to use them, we can also sell it. I believe that mines back in the US for pumice sell it at roughly $23 a ton. I am certain that we could find buyers." With a shake of her head, Claire dropped the piece of pumice in her hands back into the bucket and nodded as she accepted some paperwork from Justin. Looking it over, she began to do the math in her head. 'Yes... this will save us quite a bit in costs.'

* * *

Taking advantage of the morning air before the heat of noon fully hit, Grace was typing away on the laptop that Claire had gotten for her. For several minutes, she ignored the finger that was hovering by her cheek until finally, she lashed out and smacked it away. "Owen, go be a shit somewhere else."

Owen only grinned as he tried to look over his sister's shoulder. "Who are you reading an email from? A boyfriend?"

Utterly deadpan, Grace looked over her shoulder at him. "Strange, I didn't know that Rachel was a guy and my boyfriend."

It went without saying that Owen just stared at her for several moments as his mind tried to reboot from what she just said. "Wait... what?"

Nodding, Grace took a sip of her coffee. "Yes, because I am totally dating her." Grace then reached up and flicked his ear as she rolled her eyes. "No, Owen, I'm not seeing anyone. And I'm talking with one of my co-workers, Rachel. Besides, she's got a boyfriend who's in charge of the aviary and the Woodward's eagles." Ignoring him, she continued. "Rachel just wants my opinion on some of the precautions they're taking for her animals. They're going to be among the tough ones after all."

Slightly intrigued, Owen raised an eyebrow and tried to see the screen. "Uh-huh. In that case, what are they? Cave bears? Sabertoothed tigers? Woolly rhinoceroses?"

Her tone dry, Grace snorted. "Worse... She's in charge of the megalictis." Just blinking, Owen raised an eyebrow at her as he tried to place the name. Finally, Grace sighed and rolled her eyes. "You don't have the first clue what that is, do you?"

The raptor trainer only shrugged. "Nope, not in the slightest."

With a glare on her face, Grace twisted around in her seat and gave Owen scowl. "It's a mustalid from the Oligocene to Miocene."

Waving a hand around, Owen coughed a bit. "So... A weasel or ferret or something?"

Grace only pinched her nose in annoyance before she answered. "Or something is right... Imagine a wolverine, okay?" Amused at how annoyed she was, Owen nodded. "Now double or even triple the weight and size and you got megalictis."

Several moments passed as Owen stared at her before he raised an eyebrow. "Just one question?" At the nod from Grace, he continued. "Is your friend nuts along with InGen and Masrani? Because that is the only answer for why she would accept to handle that which I can think of."

Once more, Grace flicked his ear. "This coming from the guy who decided that training raptors was a good idea for a living." Sipping her coffee, Grace looked at the email and widened her eyes a fraction. "Huh..."

Poking her, Owen smirked as she attempted to smack him. "What was that 'Huh' all about?"

As she glared at him, Grace once more shoved him away. "Stop being a little shit, Owe. And as for your answer, Rachel was telling me that she got her answer as to what they're using to fill in the blank spots in the genetics. Turns out that they're using honey badger DNA."

Just staring at her, Owen coughed. "I'll ask again, is your friend utterly insane to even sign up for that."

Grace didn't even bother to answer him. 'Sometimes I wonder that myself...'

* * *

While she walked through the halls, Claire glanced toward Vivian who tried to keep up. "Anything in particular that I should know about before we reach the lab?"

Looking down at the tablet in her hands, Vivian let out a breath as she tried to calm her nerves. After all, Claire had told her she would be eased into being her assistant over the next few months as the park was closed. "There's a notice from the ACU regarding... Proavis _sornaensis_? I've never heard of that dinosaur..."

There was a frown on Claire's face as she thought it over before nodding. "I'm not too surprised you wouldn't know about it. When it comes to the unlisted species InGen created on the island, most people think of the spinosaurus and ones like it. _Proavis_ is... a very primative bird, more so then even _Archaeopteryx_. InGen has never been able to identify what species it is from fossils, so it was named after a hypothetical protobird it resembled..." Her frown deepened some with her next words. "Though last I checked, there were some who think it was an accidental hybrid which... it might have been."

Eyes wide, Vivian glanced down at the report. "Uh... well, it's been sighted at Timmothy's Isle... which is only fifteen miles Southwest from where we are... It's mostly mangroves surrounding a eroded cinder cone." Hearing a chuckle, she looked up to see an odd smile on Claire's face. "Uh, ma'am?"

Blinking, Claire shook her head. "Just remembering many years ago. As for the proavis, we should inform staff to keep an eye out for them, though they're not too dangerous due to their size."

A slight frown was on Vivian's face as she looked it up before she smiled. "Huh, they're only the size of a magpie... and they clean dinosaurs?"

With a nod, Claire internally noted that they were entering the labs. "Yes, they've learned to clean insects and parasites off dinosaurs..." Inside, Rexy stood with a lab coat on before an a pair of eggs as Patricia busied herself around. "Doctor Cheung, I heard that our newest resident was about to hatch?"

The smile on Patricia's face grew as she wheeled herself over to the incubator while Claire put on a lab coat and apron. "Yes, in fact you're just in time... the dilong is starting to crack the egg as a matter of fact."

Seeing the cracks in the shell, Claire smiled as well as she leaned down as Vivian also put on an apron and lab coat. "Well then, far be it for me to miss greeting our newest member."

In the incubator, more cracks formed in the shell as it began to push outwards. Rexy grinned as she watched. "Can't wait to see hatchlings."

Breaking through the egg, a snout started to shove the upper portion of the shell away as Claire cooed. "There we go... come on..." More of the egg cracked as the upper portion popped off entirely, the small dinosaur blinking through the fluid that covered it as it stared at the three creatures in front of it. "Hello there, welcome to the world."

Gently, Claire helped the small dinosaur break apart the rest of it's shell as Vivian looked over at the other egg. "Claire? The other egg is hatching as well."

The smile on Rexy's face only grew at that. "Two hatchlings then."

Chuckling, Claire gently cleaned the hatchling off, revealing it was covered in soft down. "I suppose so..." Several minutes later, both dilong hatchlings were wrapped up in blankets and looking around at the world around them with wide eyes chirping. The older one was held by Vivian as Doctor Smith, the resident hatchling and baby dinosaur vet, looked it over. "Now then... what shall we do for names..."

Smith looked up with a quirked eyebrow at Claire and a slight frown. "Naming them already? We don't know if they'll even survive the night."

However, all Claire did was take a deep breath through her nose and hum, amusement in her eyes. "Somehow I think that they'll be just fine."

Noticing that Rexy did something similar, Vivian chalked it up to the sense boost that Claire had told her about before she looked down at the hatchling in her arms. "I kind of have an idea for names..." Claire only nodded for her to continue. "How about this little girl is named Bon, after Bonaparte? And her sister is Victoria? You know, because you said that they'll be rulers of the Small World? What with their size and all?"

For several moments, Claire rolled the names around in her head before she finally nodded with a smile. "Those seem fine for now actually. Bon and Victoria then."

All Doctor Smith did was shake his head at them before he wrote various things down. 'Wonder what they know that I don't...'


	29. Chapter 29

Disclaimer: Jurassic World is owned by Universal Pictures

" _Hello?_ " -Phone or radio.

"{ _Alpha!_ }" -Dinosaur language.

* * *

Nima crossed her arms as she looked up at the large concrete block wall, which now separated what was the North Dock from the rest of the island. After several moments she nodded before she turned toward the ACU officer beside her. "Impressive. How thick are we talking about here? And how tall?"

Clearing his throat, the man gestured to where one member of the ACU was patrolling along a catwalk. "About eight feet thick and forty feet tall, we used interlocking concrete blocks... they're kind of like Lego blocks. We've also put concrete between them for some extra strength, it would take a lot to get through them."

Slowly, Nima raised her eyebrow at him. "So you're not saying that it's impossible for a dinosaur to get over or through them?"

All the man did was snort. "I've worked on the island for ten years, I'm not about to say how it would be impossible for a dinosaur. I learned _that_ lesson a long time ago." He then frowned a bit. "Best that we can do is make things as safe as possible, which is why we also have electrified wires on top as well."

Frowning, Nima nodded a bit. "Power?"

The man jerked his thumb behind him. "We got solar panels, wind turbines, and a diesel generators just in case. We've also run a cable around the island to connect it to the main grid, so we're kind of set. Not totally fail proof, but as about fail proof as we can make it." With a slight frown, he pointed to where a small crane placed another concrete block onto what looked like a building. "We're also building everything to the same standard that is used on Sorna. Makes it a lot less likely for issues."

While she looked around, Nima nodded to herself. 'Good, this will make it harder for the mujer loca to get at anyone in here.' Glancing at a small door in the wall, Nima frowned. 'Much harder, though not impossible.' Outwardly though, Nima coughed a bit. "You do good work and quickly."

Pleased, the man nodded. "Coming from a Park Survivor, that means a lot actually."

A flash of red caused Nima to loop up at a distant hillside before she frowned. "You're welcome."

Slightly confused, the man turned in the direction she was looking and scanned the area. "You see something over there?"

For a few moments, Nima just watched before she shook her head. "Maybe, but it's gone now."

Part of her noted that the ACU Officer gave some orders through his radio and several of those on the wall turned binoculars onto the hillside. At her look, he shrugged. "You can never be too careful."

Looking around as they continued to walk through the compound, Nima spotted some workers pouring concrete into a block from a bucket carried by one of Jurassic World's helicopters. Throughout the compound, Nima could see concrete blocks being emplaced to be used for buildings and just nodded. 'Never too careful is right.'

With a frown still on her face and a last goodbye, she left the ACU Officer behind and climbed some steps into a trailer which had Doctor Anna MacDonald and some of her fellows around a touchscreen built into a table. Looking up, Anna smiled and nodded. "Miss Cruz, how goes the inspection? Nothing worrying I hope?"

Despite her own feelings regarding things, Nima gave the doctor a smile. "No, nothing too worrying besides a few things that I had issues with before. And those should be sorted out soon enough." Walking over, she spotted what looked like a map of Nublar and the nearby islands, including the two erupting volcanoes. "So those are the eruptions..."

Noticing where she was looking, Doctor MacDonald nodded. "They are, it's a rather spectular sight and we've already leaned a lot about the local volcanism from them. We've composed this from overflights and satellite pictures, so it's a pretty decent map."

However, what caught Nima's notice was a large black "tongue" of lava that seemed to reaching toward Nublar. "What is that?"

Doctor MacDonald shook her head and frowned. "It's a flow of 'A'a lava." At the look of incomprehension, she hummed. "It's a Hawaiian word for a type of lava composed of blocky chunks. The top is covered in blocks as is the bottom, keeping the interior warm as it pushes forward. In this case, it's about forty feet high and a hundred wide. It's moving toward Nublar at about a five hundred feet a day." Mistaking Nima's wide-eyed look, the doctor shrugged. "Quite a bit slower then what one would expect, but the water is slowing it down."

Coughing to cover her surprise up, Nima shook her head. "Is the island in any danger?"

As she chuckled, the doctor shook her head. "No, no danger. In a few weeks, the flow will come in contact with some cliffs about two miles away. At that point, Nueva Nublar won't be an island anymore and will be considered to be just another part of Isla Nublar. If what we suspect though happens, this flow, heading northwest will probably come in contact with a possible flow from Cauldero del Diablo and merge that island with Nublar as well. If nothing else, it'll increase the land area of Nublar."

Slightly interested as it dealt with her former home, Nima raised an eyebrow. "By how much?"

Her hand tilting back and forth, Doctor MacDonald frowned. "Depends on how long the eruption lasts. It doesn't show any sign of abating, which means it could continue for weeks, months... or even years. Kilauea has been erupting for more then twenty years at this point, though this eruption is extruding more material. By our estimates... about a cubic kilometre of lava every three months. If it goes on for a year, that will be roughly four cubic kilometres. Two years would be eight, three would be twelve, four would be sixteen, beating out Laki. If it goes one longer? By the fifth it would be the largest historical lava eruption at twenty cubic kilometres."

One of her students then spoke up. "The flows could stretch out twenty or even thirty miles across what was ocean by that point if it continues to flow mainly west and northwest. After all, the water depth is mainly about a hundred on average compared to the four hundred to the west."

Frowning, Nima looked down at the map, feeling a twinge of sadness as the lava was slowly covering the ocean bank she once fished with her father as a child. But then she nodded. "I see..."

A smile then crossed her face as the doctor asked if she wanted to join them for lunch. An offer that she took as it saved her a trip back and forth.

* * *

The dimetrodon opened its mouth to reveal serated teeth as a hiss escaped. On the other side of the chicken wire, Vivian just blinked a bit as she tilted her head before turning to regard an amused Claire. "I still cannot believe that you're keeping them in a... rabbit hutch."

Her eyes twinkling, Claire shook her head. "It is the Dimetrodon Temporary Habitat Enclosure for the small specimens collected by the ACU."

Once more, Vivian just blinked and then looked back at the "enclosure", which was just several wooden beams nailed together into a frame with a door on top, cement floor, and chicken wire covering the open sides. "... It's a rabbit hutch."

Claire only shook her head some, though the smile on her face told anyone looking that she was more amused then anything. "No, it's a Dimetrodon Temporary Habitat Enclosure. One of the things you need to understand is that the names you give something matter as much as anything else. Calling it a rabbit hutch does not sound anywhere near as good as 'Dimetrodon Temporary Habitat Enclosure' to a possible sponsor."

Raising her eyebrow, Vivian just stared at her. "... So, use a lot of buzzwords then to make it sound better?" Vivian then got a nod from her boss, which caused her to shake her head before she glanced back at the young dimetrodon as she muttered. "Still say that it's a rabbit hutch." She then leaned in. "Kind of small though, aren't they?"

As she crouched herself to look at the group of small dimetrodons, Claire hummed to herself. "Well, they're about three feet long right now. Though from what I have been informed in regards to them, they should be around five to six feet long by the time the park reopens. Not large, but a decent enough size and they'll get much bigger as time goes on."

With a slight frown on her face Vivian was about to say something when a rustle caught her attention. It had come from one of the larger hutch-like enclosures. "What was that?"

There was a raised eyebrow as Claire turned toward the enclosure and then snorted. "It seems that one of the Drepanosaurus is a bit hungry."

Getting up, Vivian walked over to see what she first mistook for a lizard until she saw the massive claws it had, one on each front limb. Claws that it had been using to dig under the bark to grab a grub. Now however, it was staring at the two humans. "I've never seen a dinosaur like that."

Slowly, Claire shook her head a bit, but it wasn't her that answered as Douglas Guitierrez came over. "It's not a dinosaur actually. The drepanosaurs are a group all their own from the Triassic and... well, they're really weird."

Her eyebrow quirked, Vivian turned toward him. "Weird? How so?"

In reply he just pointed at the enclosure. "Just watch."

Turning back to the enclosure, Vivian blinked as the lizard-like animal reached out with it's tail which she now realized had a claw on the end. Once the tail was wrapped around the branch, it let go and swung to another branch. Soon, it was out of sight behind some leaves. "Okay... that was rather cool. They're like... little scaly monkeys."

While he leaned in, Douglas chuckled. "You're not the only one who thinks so, as at least one paleontologist tried to classify them as Simiosaura, or monkey-lizards. One of the geneticists for InGen made them back on Sorna as a side project and some of the workers kept them as pets." Frowning slightly, he turned toward Claire. "In fact, didn't InGen consider selling them as such?"

A look of distaste on her face, Claire nodded. "They did. But all of them were left behind on Sorna and the Whaleback when they evacuated. In fact, these ones were found on a tree floating about twenty miles from Sorna... Which is why we're able to give them a small home in the Small World attraction. Other related species were also found which we'll be putting into the same enclosure as they're all insectivores."

Chuckling, Douglas shook his head. "Well, I can see them becoming pretty popular." Suddenly, he snapped his fingers. "Right... Bill wanted me to talk to you about Project Mockingbird."

More then a little confused, Vivian looked between Claire and Douglas with a frown. "Project Mockingbird?"

For a moment, Claire blinked and then she hummed. "You know how most of the dinosaurs from the old park were all clones with very little variations between them genetically, correct?" Getting a nod, she continued. "Due to this fact, there was an issue in regards to their future survival on Sorna and the other islands. _Because_ they were all clones, there is a rather good chance they would all go extinct in a few generations due to inbreeding. Project Mockingbird was created to stop that."

Taking over, Douglas nodded. "InGen and Masrani have been creating eggs that contain embryos with a large range of genetic diversity for various species. The eggs themselves are indistinguishable from others of that species. Bill and his team, who work for the Hammond Foundation, then take over and insert the eggs into the nests of various dinosaurs without them realizing. It works most times with the eggs hatching and being cared for, the parents never knowing that it's not their offspring. The hope is enough diversity can be introduced to get them past the bottleneck."

Eyes wide, Vivian stared at him. "Wait... does that also include the..."

With a nod, Douglas nodded. "Let's just say that things can often get _really_ hairy with some of the predators. I've seen proof of Bill having balls of steel when he's snuck into Tyrannosaurus nests while the parents have been knocked out to insert the eggs. To say nothing of that one time with the raptors..." Shaking his head, Douglas snorted. "There's a reason why the team lives on one of the small islands nearby."

As Vivian winced, Claire frowned thoughtfully to herself. Knowing what she does now, she couldn't help but wonder exactly how much the tyrannosaurs on Sorna actually knew.

* * *

Looking up from his work, Owen raised an eyebrow as a confused Blue walked in followed by his sister. When he gave Grace a look though, she shook her head and then left. Soon after, he could hear the backdoor closed and knew that his sister had went outside for some reason. "Is there a problem, Blue?"

With a frown on her face, Blue sat down on the couch beside him and stared at the wall with her eyebrows furrowed. "Daddy... why didn't you say we had other sisters?" Feeling Owen stiffen, Blue looked over at him. "Daddy?"

In her nest, Charlie perked up and whipped her head as did Echo and Delta. "{ _We have sisters?!_ }"

A moment later, Owen growled deep in his throat. "Those... _things_ were not your sisters."

Knocked off kilter by the anger and hate in Owen's voice, Blue lowered her head a bit. "What mean...?"

Taking a moment to breath deeply, Owen rubbed his face before he saved his work and closed his laptop. For almost a minute, he stared off into the distance. "InGen's Security Division started the IBRIS, the Integrated Behavioral Raptor Intelligence Study, back in 2012. I wasn't involved until 2013, Blue. By that time, they had already hatched two raptors, the only survivors of their clutch... which was not surprising really considering how they acted."

Head tilted to the side, Echo chirped a bit. "{ _What name?_ }"

Owen snorted a bit. "What name did they have? The guy whose place I took didn't give either of them names. The first one was an orange raptor named A-2 and the second one was called V-2 and she had a similar blue stripe to... you, Blue. But that's where any similarity stopped. The two of them were extremely aggressive and, I suspect, psychotic and sadistic... No, I know that they were both psychotic and sadistic."

Eyes narrowed, Blue frowned a bit. "Like... Big-One that Ster-Rexy talked about?"

Fingers working on the table, Owen sighed. "Yeah... I guess. My first introduction to them was during a pig test. You girls were in your eggs at the time, so they took me to have a look at the training." He snorted a bit and glared. "They did the pig training just like I did with you girls, but they wouldn't listen. And unlike you, when they caught the pig they did not kill it right away, but _played_ with it. Trust me, the sight of them taking their time sticks with someone. And what was worse was that you could see them enjoying themselves doing so." Still frowning, he continued. "Of course, soon after, Seth, the man whose job I have now, listened to Hoskins when it came to training."

Blinking, Delta snorted. "{ _Fat-Ugly stupid and smelly, why listen? And what want?_ }"

Part of Owen realized that he was smiling at what Delta called Hoskins, but ignored it as it was wiped off his face as he continued to remember. "The same thing he suggested to me. Seth began to physically hurt the raptors. At first, it was with Tasers and he would also smack them on the head when they didn't obey with an extended shock stick. A-2 and V-2 grew to hate him especially, you could see it in their eyes... It was the day after you four had hatched, I was taking care of you when I heard there was an accident at the Raptor Paddock. By the time I got there, it was all over and too late, but..."

Blue winced as she guessed what happened. "They kill their Alpha?"

Snorting, Owen shook his head. "Seth only _thought_ that he was their Alpha. He was after all Hoskins' pick for the head handler... but yeah. He was doing his training and, as usual, A-2 and V-2 ignored him, so he brought out his shock stick. A-2 dodged it and grabbed it in her jaws and pulled, bringing him close to the bars. V-2 then reached through the bars and hooked her foreclaws into him and kept him there as they both went to work while he screamed. The InGen Security guys and the other handlers tried to get him free, even shooting A-2 and V-2 with tranqs, but it was too little, too late. It's why the bars on your paddock are the way they are really, as well as the walkways. After that, A-2 and V-2 were both put down... killed, almost immediately."

Utter silence enveloped the group as the Raptor Squad shared a look as they knew that might have been their fate as well. If anything though, it made them more grateful toward their Alpha and Claire since they knew the two protected them. Her head tilted, Charlie huffed. "{ _Were... made wrong then?_ }"

As he looked up, Owen blinked as he shook off the memories, which were not easy in the slightest. "Hmm? Well, maybe. Considering the control Hoskins had over the project, I've always suspected he somehow made sure that they were as aggressive as possible, which fits with his ideals. The fact that he did not learn from it pissed me off though. Thankfully though, you girls were not under his direct management. In fact, Masrani was going to replace A-2 and V-2 with you anyways and so they tried to take as much aggression out of you as possible. Though that was a shot in the dark as they had really only figured out what gene sequence could possibly lead to psychosis with the rest just guesses." With a frown, Owen turned to Blue and raised an eyebrow. "Where did you even hear of A-2 and V-2?"

Slightly uncomfortable, Blue shifted a bit. "Heard ACU mention them around Aunt Grace, saw her use fist! Was on ground with much blood from his nose."

Making a note to have a talk with Grace and, as he had guessed what was said, Owen also wanted a name for a talk. A moment later, he reached over and rubbed the top of Blue's head with a half-smile. "Anyways, let's forget about all that, okay? I think that we all deserve a little something after that. In fact... I got an Oreo ice cream sandwich for you."

That caught Blue's attention as her nostrils flared, despite being human. "Blessed Oreo? With ice cream? Want!"

With a laugh, Owen got up and walked toward the kitchen. "Sure thing, Baby Blue... Sure thing."

* * *

As they walked toward the helipad, Claire turned toward Vivian who winced a bit. "How are you holding up?"

Frowning, Vivian rubbed her leg a bit with another wince. "I'll be okay, just not used to this amount of walking is all..."

There was a sympathic look on Claire's face as she nodded. "This should be our last real stop for the day, then you can relax."

With a glance at Claire's high heels, and then at her own flats, Vivian could only shake her head in amazement. 'How the heck does she last a whole day walking around in those things...? I feel like I'm going to get blisters with just these shoes.' Hearing her name, Vivian blinked and blushed as she noticed that Claire was watching her with a raised eyebrow. "Um... sorry?"

Shaking her head, the red head had to hold back a chuckle of amusement. "I was wondering what our currently most watched video is on our website?"

Her eyebrows furrowed, Vivian brought out her tablet not knowing that Claire was trying to distract her from her feet. "Let's see... it looks like a tossup between the various livestreams of the eruption. Though the video of the nothosaur pod on Sorna's west coast is not far off... especially as apparently the Tanystropheus is nearby."

Thoughtful, Claire looked up the sky. "It is breeding season for them, isn't it?"

While she nodded, Vivian watched as on the video as a creature with a large neck plucked a seagull out of the air. Not far off, on the beach, a group of repilian creatures laid sunning themselves like some prehistoric version of seals. "They don't lay eggs though so maybe we might see a birth of some babies soon... thankfully they don't go too far out into the sea when getting ready."

Having spotted the helicopter, Claire slowly frowned. "No, though the East Pod has a habit of heading to the islets nearby... And they did manage to make it to Nublar in 2006 to give birth before the ACU transported them back to Sorna."

Vivian looked up in time to see the helicopter land and begin to power down as they watched. "I guess, I wasn't around for that." Seeing the frown on Claire's face, Vivian raised an eyebrow as she also noted Gerry and Alphonse Smith, the vet for the hatchlings, nearby. "So, why are we waiting on the chopper?"

A slight smile was on Claire's face as she watched. "BioSyn used some of the embryos taken from the park that had been planned for the Petting Zoo. They unfortunitely hatched just as the ACU arrived so we had to wait to make sure that they were healthy enough to make it before bringing them."

Blinking, Vivian frowned as she glanced at her boss. "Planned for the Petting Zoo? Isn't that for all the plant eaters though when they're hatchlings? And why would BioSyn hatch them?"

With a chuckle, Claire began to stride toward the helipad as the ACU crew began to bring out pet carriers. "The animals were planned to live their whole lives in the Petting Zoo as attractions. As for the BioSyn..." Claire's expression became one of distaste. "They were going to sell them as pets to the highest bidder... Bidders that I have no doubt that the governments of both the United States and Costa Rica are looking very closely at."

Finally, they reached them and Vivian leaned down to look into one of the pet carriers and blinked at the sight of the armored dinosaur. "Wait, is that an ankylosaurus?"

Chuckling, Gerry glanced over from where he had pulled one out and was looking it over. "A species of ankylosaurus, actually. Minmi _paravertebra_ to be exact, from Australia." Gently, he placed it back into the carrier and pulled out a strawberry from a pouch on his side which it gobbled down. At their looks, he smiled. "They love berries and these little guys deserve some."

Still more then a little curious, Vivian just watched as Dr. Smith looked over another one, though she noted another vet leaving the helicopter. "Aren't these still going to get too big though?"

Gerry only shook his head. "No, at most they reach maybe nine feet, Jurassic World's though should be about six and a half or so, just like the fossil specimens found."

From where she was watching, Claire just frowned. "Which is probably what made them so attractive for BioSyn's plans..."

His eyebrow raised, Gerry glanced at her, but nodded. Even before her change in attitudes towards the animals, Claire had quite strong opinions on the idea of using some of the dinosaurs as pets. "That would be my guess. And if they're anything like the larger ankylosaurs, they're probably very even tempered. Helps that they don't have tail clubs."

Pushing aside her thoughts on BioSyn and their plans, Claire cleared her throat. "So, how is their health?"

All the vet did was hum as he finished another checkup and gave said minmi a strawberry. "Well, from what I can see they're all rather healthy, though I would like to keep them in observation for a while longer. And with the stegoceratops and ankylodocus both being taken to their temporary paddocks for now, we got the room for observation."

Slowly, Claire nodded as one of the minmi gave a huff as it was put back into a carrier. "That is welcome news at least..."

* * *

Hearing the lab doors open, Tim turned and smiled at the suited woman who walked in. "Agent Francine, I hope that your inspection of our facility has gone as well as possible? No problems?"

There was the slightest smile on her face as she nodded. "It was rather informative, I must admit. You have been very open and I think I speak for my superiors when I say that we're thankful for that. However... I do have some questions to which I would like some answers to, Mr. Hammond." As she came to stand next to him, she raised an eyebrow at the massive clams that were held within a tank. "How about we start with some rather simple... what am I looking at exactly?"

Raising an eyebrow, Tim turned toward the tank and took a breath. "Those are Platyceramus, a giant clam from the Cretaceous Period that grew up to ten feet in size. Ones we've brought back have been modified in a number of ways."

Slowly, Agent Francine nodded. "I see... and how have they been modified exactly? To grow faster?"

While he nodded, Tim tried to understand where she was going. "Among other things, yes. Though the ones we do grow are not used for food." Knowing that she had turned back to him, he continued. "Platyceramus could grow large numbers of large pearls within them. We've modified these ones to grow them a bit faster then normal and in larger numbers. Just one of the smaller ones is worth several thousand dollars. The mother of pearl in the shell can also be used once the animal is dead."

Agent Francine softly snorted as she shook her head. "I don't believe that I will be wearing a pearl necklace from one of these. So, InGen is rather good at modifying animals then?"

His eyes narrowed, Tim frowned. "We are a multi-billion dollar international that specializes in genetics, so yes. I would like to think that we are rather good at what we do. Though items such as Jurassic World and other forms of de-extinction are just small parts of all we do. For example, we've recently begun tests in a bacteria which should help clean up some toxic waste sites by storing toxic chemicals within their shells."

Still with her eyes on the giant clams, Agent Francine hummed a bit. "Interesting times we live in at the moment. The science of genetics exploding into new frontiers, humanity playing God..." Not getting anything more then a nod from Tim, she shook her head. "I do have another question though. Can you tell me about your growth tanks?"

Confused as to where this might be going, Tim gestured for her to follow him as he began to walk. "The growth tanks were invented by a company that InGen aquired back in 1979. At the time, they were mostly used to grow embryos until they reached a certain stage in embryonic research of animal embryos. My grandfather and his business partner, Doctor Norman Atherton saw other possibilities. Within four years, they advanced the technology far enough that, with some help, they could be used as artificial wombs of sorts with an acceptable failure rate. It was how they created the minature elephant that Dr. Atherton is famous for and which my grandfather paraded around to raise funds."

With a nod, Agent Francine just watched him calmly, though she did note how there was wistfulness in his voice as he spoke about his grandfather. "I see, and how did the growth tanks help in that?"

Placing his hands behind him, Tim glanced at the ceiling in thought. "The elephant was the first of it's kind. Despite it's... behavioral issues, it was a major breakthrough. However, the growing tanks were needed as normal surrogency methods failed in regards to it. Any animal used as a surrogate mother would reject it at some point in the development. But with the growing tank, they managed to... Give birth to one, of sorts. Grant you, now a days we've modified the small elephant genome with genes from the pygmy mammoths from some islands. It makes them much more stable as pets."

Her hands behind her, the Agent frowned. "I see... Would it be possible to grow a human embryo in one? Until it's viable to live in the outside world?"

That caused Tim to stop as his eyes were wide and his mind raced. 'Did someone... no, I should have heard of it, but just in case I'll have to check...' Shaking it off, he missed the gleam in Francine's eyes as he turned toward her. "I'll be honest with you, Agent Francine. The technology of the growth tanks should allow such. In fact, they would have been able to grow humans in them since the early 1990s. But as far as I know, no one has attempted it."

Raising her eyebrow, Agent Francine just watched him. "Surely it was looked at though. There would be a lot of money in surrogate births for some people of means out there. The idea of designer children is talked about. Or those who are unable to have children naturally."

As he narrowed his eyes, Tim snorted. "We know about that. But even though the technology is there, the issue is that there is a lot of ethical and moral concerns to deal with before we even attempt to try the technology with non-viable embryos. As is, while I will admit that we have looked at the possibilities, there wouldn't be any tests in such a way for at least a decade, maybe two." They then entered another lab, and Tim gestured at what looked like a tank full of liquid on the otherside of a window, inside which there was an a small object. "As it is, we've only recently begun work involving higher primates."

Slightly shocked, Agent Francine moved closer to the glass. "What is that, Mr. Hammond?"

Having clasped his hands behind his back, Tim nodded toward the tank. "That would be one of the embryonic gigantopithecus that will be in the new park in Canada. If all turns out well, there's some thoughts of perhaps using the growth tanks to increase the numbers of great apes, such as chimpanzees and gorillas. One of the issues with them is that it's hard to breed them in capitivity after all."

Now a bit calmer, Agent Francine just nodded. "I see..."

Of course, several days after her visit she only smiled as surveillance told her that Tim was once more digging through his company's files and projects. That was only a bonus though.

* * *

From where she hid in the river, Jess watched the surface through her nictating membrane that covered her eyes. The current brushed past her, but even if it was much stronger it was unlikely to be able to move her bulk. 'I wonder where they are...' Bored, Jess toyed with the fresh water clam, mindlessly tossing it back and forth. She glanced up towards the surface as she caught movement out of the corner of her eye. Jess turned in time to see a small caiman shoot out of the distance and snatch the clam before swimming off.

However, she was less annoyed and more curious as the corner of her lips turned up. 'Didn't know that the Muertes Dwarf Caiman lived in this river...'

That was when she finally heard voices from above her and looked toward the surface to see shapes walking along the riverside road. "So, why is Jess at the quarantine pen instead of meeting me?"

Jess' mouth opened in crocodilian grin as she gently pushed off the bottom and floated toward the surface only her eyes and nostrils broke the surface as she watched Nima and another, younger woman walking. While Nima spotted Jess before she submerged again, the other woman didn't, so Nima took that chance to sigh. "Jess had a situation that needed a week to be taken care of. And that week is nearly over, Mariquita."

Slowly shaking her head, Atlanta sighed. "Should have expected it, I suppose what with all the work she's doing recently. Though if I need to drag her to the nightclub, I will." At her mother's amused expression, Atlanta scoffed. "Jess needs someone in her life."

With her lips turned up in a smirk, Nima snorted. "If I am correct, she may have found someone who has caught her eye..."

Before Atlanta could ask though, the water next to her exploded as Jess leapt out of the water with a roar. Atlanta's eyes widened, she pulled a gun out and fired. "JESUS FUCK!"

Yelping, Jess ducked and threw her claws over her head. "WHAT THE HELL, ATLANTA!? WHAT IN THE LOVING FUCK WAS THAT FOR!?"

As she snarled, Atlanta glared at Jess. "WHAT THE HELL AM I SUPPOSED TO DO WHEN A...dinosaur... leaps at... wait..." Her eyes seemed to nearly pop out from her eye sockets as she pointed the gun at the ground. " _JESS!?_ Is that _you!?_ "

Her head tilted to the side, Jess looked herself over with wide eyes. "Well, look at that, it _is_ me... Who would have thunk it."

Several moments passed before Atlanta finally let out a sigh and holstered her gun. Rubbing her brow, she slowly nodded. "Yup, that's you alright... So, should I ask exactly why the heck Jess seems to be a talking dinosaur?"

Glaring, Jess growled at her. "Who you nearly _shot_ , should I remind you."

That only got her a glare back from Atlanta who scoffed. "Yeah, a big, predatory dinosaur leaps out of nowhere with lots of teeth... What in the Hell did you expect!?"

More amused then anything else, Nima just stood back with a smile as she tapped fingers on her arm while listening to the two bicker. Finally, she began to chuckle which brought caused Jess and Atlanta to stop and turned toward her. All Nima did though was softly smile. "Sometimes I wonder if you were not always meant to be sisters."

Atlanta only gave her mother a look before she turned back to Jess and sighed. "Right... assuming that this is not some sort of dream... mind explaining why you're a talking dinosaur before I decide that I have lost my mind?"

Once more, Jess let her jaw open just a bit in a grin. "Well... magic." At the look, she snickered and shook her massive head before she brought up a claw and tapped what looked like an object embedded in her chest. "No, really, magic. See this? It's a magical amulet that lets people become animals..."

While Jess continued to explain, Atlanta just listened. Once Jess was done, Atlanta pinched her nose and let out a long, slow breath. "Right... sparkly magical bullshit is real... Lovely."

Somehow, the chuckles from Jess annoyed her just a bit more.

* * *

Owen could have sworn that Echo was pouting as she looked up. "{ _Not able to use Metal-Scale to become Not-Prey yet? Why?_ }"

The now human again Jess just petted Echo on the head. "Your burns are all healed very nicely, Echo. What we used worked wonders and there's barely any scarring. That said, you've not been very active for a few months and I want you to finish your physio first. Maybe next week or the one after. Delta should be able to use it right after you."

From where she laid, still with the cone around her head, Charlie huffed. "{ _Want to be human too. When be able?_ }"

Even though they all still wondered why Charlie seemed to be the smartest without the amulet being used, Jess ignored that for a smile. "Well, I got some good news for that." Seeing the raptor perk up, Jess' smile grew just a bit more. After all, she was enjoying being able to actually talk with her patients. "The special treatments that you're on pretty much accelerated your regeneration. From what we can see? Your tail should be fully back by June and your leg should be fully healed by August."

Her head tilted to the side, Charlie blinked before she chirped. "{ _Mean I run soon?_ }"

Sharing a look with Owen, Jess shrugged. "Not that soon, though come maybe May I'll start you on some physio to help rebuild your leg some as it continues to regrow that way you can get that out of the way sooner."

As the raptors grumbled, Owen heard a roar and turned to shout at Blue who was playing something on an old PlayStation that Owen had dragged out. "Dammit, Blue! Turn down that volume!"

Blue only hissed at him. "No! Want to hear and am close to beating Big-Hunter... T-Rex! Die! DIE STERN-ONE!"

When she saw the twitch in Owen's eyebrow, Jess snickered. "Why did you even have an old copy of Jurassic Park: Warpath? That's an old game..."

Glancing at her, Owen seemed affronted. "I'll have you know that it's a pretty good game and... Blue! Turn that volume down!"

However, Blue only glanced at him and then turned it up more before she cheered as the raptor on the screen sounded out it's victory over the t-rex. Laughter could be heard as Grace shook her head. "Owe, you just turned into Mom..."

There was a glare on Owen's face as he looked at his sister. "I am not turning into mom... Charlie! Give Delta her toy back or so help me..." Suddenly, he facepalmed. "Oh God... I am turning into Mom..."

All Jess did was watch him in amusement before she turned toward Delta and began to examine her. "Look on the bright side... Mother of Raptors is not that bad of a title."

Frowning, Blue paused from where she was fighting a giganotosaurus. "But Daddy is not mother... or is Daddy changing?"

Slowly, Owen glared at Jess who grinned right back. "No, I'm not..." His phone rang at that moment and he looked at the caller ID before getting up. "I'll be right back." Getting several acknowledgments, Owen walked outside and answered. "Claire? Is something wrong? Not that I'm thankful for getting pulled away from some problems."

There was a pause before he heard Claire sigh. " _I would ask, but I've learned not to. And in regards to pulling you away, I'm afraid it might be for longer then you might think._ "

Raising an eyebrow, Owen watched the waves hitting the lake shore as he coughed. "How long?"

Claire grunted a bit and he could hear papers shuffled around in the background. " _Roughly a week? Maybe more?_ "

Now that caused Owen's eyebrows to raise even more. "A week or more? Claire, what is going on?"

Sighing, Claire's voice came over the phone. " _I just received word that the US Government wishes to see the two of us. Why? I have no idea, Owen. But they're not taking any excuses and when I contacted Simon to let him know, he explained that they asked the same of him. I don't like this at all, Owen._ "

His lips turned down into a frown, Owen turned and looked through the window where he could see Blue playing video games. A shiver ran down his back as his instincts told him something and he listened. "Claire... if Masrani is being called in, then I have no doubts it has to do with Wu. That's the only reason why I can think of for us to be called in as well."

There was a pause and Owen knew that Claire had a pinched expression on her face on her end of the line. " _I know, and that frightens me..._ "

* * *

It went without saying that the trip took quite some time. Nearly as soon as they landed in Costa Rica, some officials practically shoved them onto a jet to the United States that landed in California. Before either Claire or Owen could rest, they were taken from the airport in a small convoy and then brought to a building and quickly shuffled down to the lower levels of the obvious federal building. They expected Masrani and Tim, what they did not expect was the three other people there who Agent Francine introduced as she waved at them. "Miss Dearing, Mr. Grady, let me introduce Doctors Malcolm and Doctor Grant. You know of course Mr. Masrani and Mr. Hammond."

With an easy smile, Grant stood up and shook Owen's hand. "I've read your work on the behavior of raptors. Pretty impressive amount of work actually."

The smile on Owen's face was slightly strained, but not that much. "Thanks, coming from you of all people that's high praise."

As the two groups shook hands and greeted each other, the agent just stood there waiting. Once they were done, she placed a briefcase on the table and opened it to reveal stacks of paper. "I can tell you that this has to do with a project of Doctor Henry Wu's... but before we go any deeper I need you to sign these non-disclosure agreements." She then gave Malcolm a slight warning look. "I would like to warn you, Mr. Malcolm, that if you try to speak of what you see here after signing the agreements, what InGen did to you after the incident at the first park will seem like a cakewalk."

Holding up his hands, Ian just gave a small smile. "Hey, I, um, know better then to, ah, _antagonize_ the government. Unless I want a free Cuban vacation that is."

Not even a moment later, he felt a shiver as Agent Francine gave him a smile that contained all the warmth of a glacier. "I assure you, Mr. Malcolm, it would not be a Cuban vacation that you would be getting."

The room seemed to chill at that. But as the others looked through the papers, Owen stopped Claire and then slowly went through his bit by bit. Even as Tim and the others signed, Owen only turned to Claire's and went through hers as well much to her exasperation. Finally, he nodded. "Okay, they're the same. But five years? With possible extensions?"

Slightly smiling, Agent Francine nodded. "What we're going to discuss here is rather sensitive and could be rather... _explosive_ , let us just say."

Owen and Claire shared a look before he slowly nodded and they signed. Handing them back, Claire just watched Agent Francine as she put them away with a calm she did not feel. "May I ask what all the secrecy is about?"

Walking over to a laptop, Agent Francine did not answer right away and instead booted it up. Finally, she nodded. "Now, we have called you all here for different reasons. Doctor Grant is an expert in various prehistoric lifeforms and their behaviors. Mrs. Malcolm is an expert in animal behavior." Ignoring the slight glares shot between Claire and Sarah, Agent Francine continued. "Mr. Malcolm brings his... rather _unique_ viewpoint... And Miss Dearing and Mr. Grady bring their particular experiences. Mr. Masrani and Mr. Hammond are here due to stolen resources used in the situation." Seeing that it was finished booting up, the agent began. "Now... this is video from one of our recent interrogations of Doctor Wu..."

Utter silence descended on the room once they were done before Malcolm raised a hand and stared at the screen. "Um... just one moment, just one thing there. Did... he just, uh, say he walked the path of gods who, ah, created life and man?"

Grant slowly turned toward Agent Francine, face pale. "And that the Indominus and the other dinosaurs were him creating life?"

Nodding, Francine took a deep breath. "Which, as you can well guess, makes us wonder if he also did the other portion of the path..."

Masrani could only blink in horror as he felt sick to his stomach. "And create man..."

Several moments passed before Agent Francine cleared her throat. "He gave us the location of an island where he claimed that his greatest work was. Three days ago, a number of Special Forces arrived on the island and, after some combat, took control. Before we did though, we scouted the island. This video was from that."

The video showed what looked like two children walking along a path. However, it was Owen who spoke up first as he narrowed his eyes. "Wait..." He frowned as his mind worked. "Those kids, there's something wrong with them..."

Curious, even though he still felt sick, Masrani turned toward him. "Wrong? Mr. Grady, I'm afraid that everything about this is wrong."

However, Owen only shook his head and got up. "No, no. Besides that." Walking forward, he gestured at the paused image. "Look at them, the proportions are all wrong. The arms are too short for one thing."

Frowning herself, Sarah nodded. "You're right... and their faces, they got pronounced brows..."

She then turned toward the agent who nodded. "We've identified them as Homo _neanderthalensis_. There's approximately a hundred on the island, the oldest of whom are thirteen years of age. It seems that they've lived their whole lives there, cared for by childcare professionals paid for by Doctor Wu. There's a further five hundred embryos in storage, all of whom are genetically distinct. Each one is about as related as Doctor Grant, Mr. Grady, or myself would be."

Growling, Tim ran his hand along his face. "I can see how the _good_ doctor would consider that his greatest creation. InGen sequenced the neanderthal genome back in 2000, which is about the right time for him to start work on them..."

Agent Francine only shook her head. "Unfortunately, as it turns out they were _not_ his greatest work..." She then turned back to the laptop and resumed the video. Moments later, something came on screen and walked up to the two apparently pre-teen children who grinned at it. Then she froze the image as everyone now froze.

It wasn't the fact that it was obviously younger than the two children as shown by the clothing it wore. After all, the style was that of any young child but upsized for something the size of a young teen. Or the fact that it stood a head taller then either as it was fully bipedal. No...

On its head and neck, black quills stood out in sharp contrast to its hide. Its mouth was open in a slight grin as cinnamon-colored eyes gazed down at the children. Its white scales gleamed, and some appeared to shift in color as it stood there. Softly, Agent Francine spoke and her voice echoed through the room. "Say hello... to Wu's greatest work, the _Indomitus Sapiens_..."


	30. Chapter 30

Disclaimer: Jurassic World is owned by Universal Pictures

" _Hello?_ " -Phone or radio.

"{ _Alpha!_ }" -Dinosaur language.

* * *

Inside her mind, Claire was grappling as memories came back from the incident with the first Indominus. As her breath quickened, she felt Owen slide his hand into hers and give it a squeeze. When she looked at him, his eyes told her that he was there and would not be leaving before he turned toward Agent Francine and growled. "You mean to tell me... That the Indominus was not enough for him, but that he created a human hybrid?! How the hell did he manage that in the amount of time he was given between when the Indminus hatched and now?!"

For a few moments, Agent Francine was silent. However, she wasn't the one who answered, but Tim who sighed. "The Indominus Rex along with it's sibling hatched sometime during April, 2009. From what I could gather, it had been worked on since 2005, though it was hard to track down all the information on the project."

Slowly, Claire nodded as she began to think again. "That... Would explain some things. Remember? In the lab before Delta killed him?"

Owen nodded a bit. "Yeah... He said that the Indominus was a prototype. That they would create a raptor sized version of it for the military."

Her eyes narrowed, Francine softly snorted. "I very much doubt he meant the United States Military. However, you are right about the Indominus Raptor, Mr. Grady. Doctor Wu's own notes mentioned that he had worked and finished it. All it needed was for the embryos to be emplaced into eggs. From further data though, that was the base upon which he used to create the I-Sapiens. Though the I-Sapiens has a much larger amount of human DNA in it's genome then the Indominus did."

That caused Grant to whip his eyes around and stare at Tim who flinched. "Human DNA... InGen used human DNA in that thing..."

Rubbing his face, Tim just sighed. "Unfortunately, yes. It was why the Indominus had opposable thumbs and could rotate it's hands and arms so much."

After several moments, Alan turned toward Agent Francine. "Do you have any X-rays of them? The original Indominus and the children?"

Her eyebrow raised, Francine tapped a tablet and after several moments gestured to one of the screens that lined the room. "I can do you one better." Two turned on and on one of them was the skeleton of the Indominus and the other showed what was obviously one of the children. "There you go. They're touch screens so you can manipulate the images."

Walking up, Alan examined them for a moment before he turned back to her. "Can you put both on the same screen?"

The Agent didn't say anything, she just manipulated her tablet and both skeletons appeared on the screen. Several minutes of silence went by as Grant examined both images closely. Finally, he sighed and rubbed his eyes. Ian coughed a bit into his hand. "And, uh, what are you looking for, um, exactly?"

Sighing, Grant shook his head a little and let out a sigh. "I'm trying to find the human in them... And I can pick out the obvious ones. For example, here." He tapped on the part of the screen for both the Indominus and the I-Sapien's jaw which increased the resolution. "In the back you can see human molars... So I'm guessing that while they're mostly carnivorous, they probably can eat some vegetable matter?"

At the look, Francine nodded. "Their caretakers confirmed that they can, in fact, eat fruits and such. However, mostly they eat meat and fish, I've heard it compared to the diet of a polar bear."

Nodding, Grant turned back to the images. "That would also explain the small incisors at the front." Then he tapped on where the spine met the skull. "This is... The other obviously human portion. Where the vertebrae meet the skull has been moved forward from where they are in the Indominus. It's basically the foramen magnum like in humans which would help with them having a human posture... Do they have the same inner ear as a human?"

Intrigued, Agent Francine nodded. "They do. Any other signs that you can pick out, Doctor?"

Giving her a snort, Alan zoomed out and then zoomed back in at where the tail met the rest of the vertebrae. "Here, the lumbar are different and more human, except there being a tail. If this was a natural evolution, I would be amazed at how it happened as it looks, while human, to have naturally evolved with the rest of the skeleton... Sort of like it would in the Dinosauroid thought experiment."

That caused Simon to blink and look at him in slight interest. "Dinosauroid?"

With a slight smile, Alan hummed. "It was a thought experiment back in the 1980s headed by a Canadian palaeontologist. He used troodon as a basis and used conjecture as to how it would evolve. It... Was criticized for being _too_ human, but I can definitely see where Wu would take some inspiration from it." Turning, Grant looked at the young I-sapien on the screen and frowned. "In which case, I'll guess that, based on that, they'll be able to give live birth most likely. Which means there might be some sexual dimorphism at some point between the genders in that females might have wider hips. Feeding probably done via regurgitation."

Her expression triumphant, Agent Francine smiled slightly. "That was, indeed, what was mentioned in Doctor Wu's notes. Though... He noted that he was not quite sure exactly how many human features would pop up once they enter adolescence." Ignoring the looks, she shook her head. "We do know that anatomically, there's a number of biological structures not shown in their skeletons that hint at a more human nature. Such as their digestive system for one, though there it seems Wu added the genes from herrarasaurs which may allow them to digest bone."

It was then that Claire spoke up with a frown on her face as she stared at a spot on the table. "If they're allowed to reach adolescence that is..." At the looks she got, Claire raised her head a bit. "I'm assuming that a decision has not been reached regarding that."

Utter silence fell onto the room before Agent Francine shook her head. "No, a decision has not been reached. Despite the obvious ethical and moral issues involving both the recreation of the neanderthals and the creation of I-sapiens, at least with the neanderthals they're recognizably _human_ and thus would most likely have all the rights that any of us enjoy. The implications for the I-sapiens, though, are rather different. They're an entirely never seen before species and there's a number of questions." Getting up, she walked over to the screen that still had the still frame from the video. "As much as some may complain about the morality of our government and, in particular, agencies such as the one I am part of... We understand that the question would remain as to our right to destroy a newborn group of fully intelligent and sapient beings."

Sarah shook her head in disbelief. "This is just..."

From where he leaned back, Malcolm shook his head. "Well, that, uh, is the difference between theory and what happens in reality." Grabbing a glass of water, he took a sip and then suddenly leaned forward. "Most people seem to think that the question of what to do with, ah, a child of the humanity's creation is recent. Artificial intelligence in the form of computers or uplifting a chimp or dog, or dolphin... It's not. The theme of how we handle creating life goes back centuries. Mary Shelley's Frankenstein might be one of the more well examples. But you got ones later on such as the Golem of Prague and others. Now, it's no longer, uh, a work of fiction but one of reality. And we're stumbling a bit after having played God."

His voice soft, Masrani shook his head. "What we decide now will have implications for the future. How we might handle any other sapient being we happen to create, either on purpose or by accident. What will our descendants think of us? Will they see us as sinners or saints I believe would be the best terms. And which decision will have which view..."

While he leaned forward, Owen narrowed his eyes a bit. "That's why we're really here, isn't it. You want us to consult you on which decision you should make in regards to the kids."

Even though it could have been a question, it wasn't phrased as such. Nonetheless, Agent Francine gave him a nod, granting him the point. "You're quite correct, Mr. Grady. We need to come to a decision for the foreseeable future and rather quickly. After all, we are still gathering information regarding it before coming to any longer term conclusions which will likely take the rest of the year. So we need to understand the possible dangers of waiting."

Eyes narrowing still further, Owen scoffed mentally. 'In other words, we're going to be the ones who will have fingers pointed at politically in a couple of months when people other then the highest levels of government are told.' Grimacing, he shook his head. 'Though considering things, I can understand why they would sit on it for a while.'

Sharing a look with her husband, Sarah coughed into her hand to attract attention. "Well, if you're going to be having us deal with it, we need more information first of all. How do they interact with the neanderthals for example. Or their caretakers. That information would go a lot way."

Having snapped out of his thoughts, Owen grunted. "It would show us how socialized they are at least. One of the issues with the Indominus was that it had no socialization and so didn't know what it was supposed to act like. It just learned as it went along."

If one had looked, they would have noticed a slight upturn in Agent Francine's lips. "Of course, of course. We wouldn't ask for your opinion without as much information as we could give you at this point. We've already set up a hotel floor for you where you can rest or review information regarding what we've found. I should inform you that we've replaced hotel staff with vetted ones. More so that they don't stumble across something then anything else and cause a leak. And being as at least three of you have outside business, we'll allow for you to have outside access through secured channels. Now then, we do have some video for you to watch if you want..."

* * *

Walking out of the hotel bathroom, Owen raised an eyebrow as he noticed that Claire was flipping through one of the folders from the briefcase they had been given. "Still reading huh?" Claire only nodded, still silent as she continued to stare into the folder. Concerned, Owen walked over and put his arm around her shoulder and felt the tense muscles under the skin. "I'd ask if you were okay, but there's nothing about this which is okay."

For a moment, Claire held her head in her hands before she sighed. "No, nothing about this is right, you're... right, about that." She then gestured at the folders. "He's created a hundred, Owen. A _hundred_ Indominus hybrids. And all under our noses. How did we _miss_ this?"

His chin on her shoulder, Owen slowly shook his head. "That's something that will need to be found out. And it's not you who needs to figure that out, but InGen and Masrani."

Several minutes of silence went by before Claire reached up and grasped his hand. "You should probably get started... you got a lot of video to go through after all."

Knowing that she only said that to give herself a moment to pull herself back together, Owen nodded as he got up and walked to the briefcase. Reaching in, he grabbed one of the DVDs in it and then walked over to the television and player, both of which he knew were likely to be destroyed once they left the hotel for the last time. Finally, Owen walked back to where Claire was and turned on the television and DVD player. "Let's see... I'm just happy they caught audio."

On the screen, it replayed the video right up to when the I-sapien reached the two neanderthal children and continued onwards as the girl neanderthal shook her head. Before she could say anything, a twelve year old looking neanderthal jogged into view and gave the I-sapien a small glare as she held her hands on her hips. " _Annalise! You know the rules, you're not allowed to be walking around outside during the day!_ "

Her claws scuffing at the dirt, the dinosaur hybrid sniffled a bit and as usual, Owen was surprised to hear it speak normal _English_. Granted, it did so in a slightly gravely tone that still sounded like a little girl's voice. " _I-I know, Jane... But... It's just so boring._ " There seemed to be a pout on her face as she stomped a foot on the ground. " _We're always stuck inside all_ _ **day**_ _. We only get to come out when it's dark out and stuff. I want to be able to walk around like you guys during the day..._ "

Gently, the female neanderthal reached over and placed a hand on her shoulder. " _I know, I know Annalise. But the adults seemed scared to let you guys outside during the day. And they're not going to be happy with this._ "

Now looking utterly misrable, Annalise sniffled a bit as she scratched at her snout. " _I... I know... I'm really sorry and..._ "

All Jane did was shake her head and sigh. " _It's okay, we'll try and sneak you back inside, okay? But they probably already know anyways... So let's just head back, okay? And I'll try to sneak you something later on if your punishment for disobeying the rules is too bad, okay?_ "

Perking up, the hybrid blinked. " _Re-really? Like, um... yoghurt and honey?_ " At the nod, she perked up a bit and then pulled the slightly smaller girl into a hug. " _Thank you!_ " Suddenly, Annalise pulled away and gasped a bit. " _Opps! I hope that I didn't hurt her..._ "

That caused Owen to blink as did Jane in the video, both asking the same question. "Hurt who...?"

Her claws going into the front pocket of her dungarees, the I-sapien pulled out a lizard and then let out a breath. " _Oh good... She's still okay. EEP!_ " When the lizard scrambled out of her hand, though, she began to chase it. " _Come back, Miss Lizard! I want to show you to the others!_ "

Meanwhile, Jane just facepalmed a bit and groaned. " _Oh for..._ " She then turned to the other two children and gave them a look. " _And you two are in just as much trouble for helping her get out. Now come on, we need to catch her and get her back home before the adults show up!_ "

With that, the person who had manned the camera just kept it on the four for as long as they could before they were out of sight behind a bend in the path and the video ended. Pausing the video, Owen rubbed his chin in thought as he tried to ignore how Claire was boring holes in the screen with her stare. "Okay... even after everything else, it's _still_ wierd to seeing hybrids acting like little kids should."

Claire snorted a little bit. "Little kids with deadly claws and teeth and who can turn invisible."

Glancing at her, Owen nodded. "True... but still little kids." As he stared at the paused image, he frowned a bit. "They seem pretty socialized from everything... though I don't like the idea of having stuck them inside during the daytime. Kids need to get out and run around."

Beside him, Claire just continued to stare before she finally sighed. "That's... Not the worst of it, Owen."

Eyebrow raised, Owen turned and gave her his attention. "Really?"

Softly snorting, Claire pointed at the screen. "I'm not an expert in animal behavior, like you are, Owen. But one thing that I _do_ know? It's how people act. I... may have had issues with Gray and Zach, but I know enough about kids. The way that girl was acting? That's an older sister exasperated with her younger siblings. Owen... She sees that hybrid as a _little sister_."

Confused, Owen blinked slowly. "Okay..."

That only caused Claire to shake her head as she got up. "Owen, from the other videos we were shown, she's not the only one. It seems that they _all_ see various members of the hybrids as little siblings. Now ask yourself this... How would you react if someone went and killed your little sister or brother just because they were scared of them?"

Wincing, Owen groaned as he rubbed his hand across his head. "Great... as if things were not complicated enough." It was then that he noticed that she was again looking at the same folder. "What is it with, uh, what was her name again? It's like that one hybrid keeps gaining your attention for some reason."

Her lips turned down into a frown, Claire shook her head. "Rose, her name is Rose. And I don't know, Owen. Call it instinct, but for some odd reason despite my... Personal feelings about what she is, there's something about her."

With his eyebrow raised just a bit, Owen looked over her shoulder at a picture of the small hybrid, her red quills against her neck. "Maybe it's just you?"

Finger against her chin, Claire's eyes were stormy with confusion as she shook her head. "Maybe..."

* * *

Having gotten together for a meal with the others, Ian waved a fork around in the air as he looked at Owen. "So, uh, you have experience in this sort of, um, thing, right?"

Slightly amused, Owen raised an eyebrow at him as Claire continued to eat her salad, though he heard her sigh. Before he could answer, Tim spoke up. "Considering that Mr. Grady here is Ex-Navy SEALs, I would think that the answer to that would be obvious, Ian."

As he chuckled, Owen shook his head. "Okay, you got some sort of question. Shoot."

For a moment, Ian chewed his food before he leaned in. "Right, so you know that they got us all, under surveilence and such. Any idea where some of the devices might be in this room?"

Raising his eyebrow, Owen just watched him as he smirked. "You mean the ones that they're using to watch us?" At Ian's nod, for a few seconds Owen was silent before he pointed up at a corner at what looked like a fire alarm. "That's one of the more obvious ones."

Ian was silent before he nodded and grabbed his chair and dragged it over to the hidden camera that Owen had pointed out. Meanwhile, Claire sighed a bit as she massaged her brow. "Really, Owen?"

All he did was shrug though with a slight smirk. "What can I say? I retired from the Navy and they've really annoyed me with all the secret squirrel shit."

Where he was though, Ian got the chair under the camera and stood up on it before he knocked on it. "Hey." Tapping it, he raised an eyebrow. "Hey, uh, I realize that the government likes going for, ah, low cost bids. But you need to, er, do better for the cooks. My chicken is kind of undercooked and..."

Snorting into his plate, Owen looked over at Ian with a grin. "Is he really...?"

Beside him, Claire shook her head a bit, her tone utterly dry. "You don't know Doctor Malcolm very well..."

That only caused Grant to shake his head a bit. "Bets on how long before he annoys our watchers? I'm saying maybe a day."

From where he was, Tim snorted. "A day? I bet that the minute he walked into that meeting he annoyed them. We are talking Ian here."

Eventually, Ian got bored and returned to the rest of the group who was nearly done. As he tucked back into the food, he wagged his fork around a bit. "Right, just to get the, ah, giant, white man-eating dinosaur out of the room... thoughts on what we've been told?" He then turned around in his seat and faced the camera that Owen had pointed out and Ian gave it one of his looks. "Besides the hubris that you suits showed. I mean, uh, you honestly thought that _genocide_ was even on the table as a moral choice? You know that's far beyond moral, right?"

Playing a bit with a piece of vegetable on her plate, Claire frowned a bit. "I hate to admit it, but I did have to give it some thought... even though I know that what the Indominus did shouldn't reflect on them, there was this small voice in my head that kept reminding me."

Squeezing her leg a bit under the table, Owen nodded. "You wouldn't be the only one."

Her eyes narrowed slightly, Sarah watched her. "So you think that they should be destroyed then?"

The tone in the voice though caused Claire to whip her head up and glare at Sarah, who was suddenly reminded of Isla Sorna when she faced the tyrannosaurs. But that lasted only a second before she felt a pinch in the side and glanced at Ian who just gave her a look before he gave Claire an apologetic look. "Excuse Sarah, I think that we're all rather frustrated at the moment and it doesn't help that we're all a bit tired I think."

After a pause, Claire nodded as she remembered that Sarah had been one of the more vocal supporters of just leaving the dinosaurs on all the islands alone to live out their lives. "Yes, well, to your question I _was_ going to say that despite my feelings toward the Indominus, I know that the children are not to blame. And, from the videos... they're nothing like that _monster_ and don't deserve to be judged by it's actions."

Grant raised his fork and nodded. "Good view to have."

Frowning, Owen grunted a bit. "That's not to say that I think either of us will be able to be in the personal presence of one for quite a while."

With a frown Masrani shook his head. "And you would not be alone in that I would think. Though this does beg the question of how the situation should be handled."

Thoughtful, Tim sighed a bit and grimaced. "I only wish that I knew what Wu's endgame was. I can understand, sort of, why he made them seeing he always wanted to challenge himself more and more. But _how_ was he going to introduce them to the world is what I want to know."

Eyebrow raised, Ian gestured at the camera as he finished. "Why not ask them?" Turning, he waved a bit. "Hey, do you think that you could get us that information? It's rather important after all or is, uh, it too classified or something?"

Giving him an amused look, Tim just shook his head. 'Never change, Ian. Never change...' Then his expression became serious. "I think though that InGen needs to take some responsiblity for it. There's going to be a fight when this is revealed and I want to make _sure_ that they're taken care of."

It said something about his character that Masrani nodded almost immediatly in agreement as he began to muse out loud. "Even if I cannot say why exactly, I can help by making quiet inquiries to my lawyers and ask them about how a theoritical situation where sapient life is created could be handled. Perhaps use the fact that the Indominus had human DNA as an excuse..."

Slowly, Grant's eyes narrowed a bit. "Where _did_ the human DNA he used come from? For both the Indominus and the children...?"

Pausing as he was about to take a drink, Tim set it down with a slight frown. "Now that is a question that I have been attempting to answer and will try to do so in the case of the children as well. But according to the files they gave us, no two of the I-sapiens children had the same donar so I'm not sure that we'll ever know where all the human DNA came from. One of our products is a DNA mapping kit to trace ancestry after all, so we've had a lot of samples come through our doors over the years. That's not counting our own research into the human genome... And that would be the best case scenario."

Masrani shook his head and bit back a curse. 'And that's assuming that Henry did not go for some more... _Illegal_ methods of obtaining the needed genetic material.'

Needless to say, it was not just him who realized that fact as they all shared looks.

* * *

Watching as the little saurian hybrid ran off toward a group of neanderthals and other I-sapiens with the candy he had given her, the Special Forces operative leaned back against the wall. He barely even acknowledged one of his squad who walked up until they spoke up in a low voice. "You know that you shouldn't get too close to them, right? I mean... you have heard what we might have to do..."

The man merely snorted a bit as he lit up a cigarette. "If that happens, then the pencil pushers can kiss my pale ass. I signed up to protect people and freedom, not to murder a bunch of kids because some dickwad in Washington is afraid of what they might become."

More then a little amused, the other man shook his head. "So even if they order you to, you won't, Sir?"

Having taken a deep breath, the man let it out in cloud of smoke. "Damn straight I won't. Being able to disobey unlawful orders is a wonderful thing. And killing kids who have done nothing is always going to be unlawful in my books." He then smirked a bit. "And let them fuckers court-martial me if they want. Because they'll have to let enough out that people are going to wonder why they wanted us to kill kids."

Also leaning against the wall, the other operative just snorted. "Frankly, LT, I don't think that I'll go against you." Seeing the group of kids playing, he just shook his head. "Just the same, I've seen some fucked up things in my life but this? This takes the fucking cake..." One of the neanderthals began to chase one of the saurian children around, both laughing as their human caretakers kept giving the Special Forces uneasy looks. "Fucking Christ on a stick... I got some nieces back home and I'm being reminded of them."

Nodding, the LT just shook his head. "Fucking shame that people are afraid of them just because of that fucking monster's rampage. Just the same, anyone who suggests I do anything to them can go fuck themselves with my gun."

That only got him agreement from the man next to him.

* * *

Her face buried in the pillow, Ami blinked a bit before she sighed. "Sunset..."

Almost immediately, the ceratosaur answered her. "{ _Yes, Mama-Ami?}_ "

Once more, Ami sighed a bit as she tried to shift around her head only to stop. "Why... are you on my back with your head on mine?"

Sunset, just sneezed a bit from Ami's hair before she opened her mouth a bit in a small grin. "{ _Mama-Ami's nest so soft! And like being on Mama-Ami because so warm.}_ "

With a slight snort, Ami shifted a little bit as she grinned into her pillow. "So you want to be my hat again then, Sunset-Hat?"

After a moment, Sunset huffed as she rolled off Ami. "{ _Am not hat!}_ "

Now able to move, Ami rolled to the side and then grinned as she noted the annoyed expression on Sunset's. "Aw, but you make such a cute little hat." Petting the ceratosaur, she got up and went about her morning business, before lifting Sunset off the bed with a grunt. Once she set Sunset back down, Ami placed her hands on her hips and shook her head. "You're getting heavy, baby girl."

Looking up, Sunset tilted her head a bit as she blinked her one eye. "{ _Am getting heavy?}_ "

As she crouched down, Ami nodded as she rubbed a hand along Sunset's neck much to the little dinosaur's enjoyment. "Very much so, Sunset. You're getting bigger every day now. Soon, you'll be bigger then I am. Maybe then I'll lay on top of you and sleep."

With a blink, Sunset softly snorted. "{ _Would not mind much. Then Mama-Ami be hat!}_ "

That got a chuckle out of Ami as she shook her head and then patted Sunset's side. "I guess so." Standing back up, Ami shook her head and gestured for Sunset to follow her. "Now then, it's time for your measuring and weighing."

A soft whine escaped from Sunset as she hung her head a bit. "{ _But am hungry, Mama-Ami...}_ "

Softly stroking Sunset's head, Ami only nodded in sympathy. "I know, Sunset. But to get a good reading I need to weigh you before I feed you." Reaching the scale, Ami set it up and smiled. "Okay, time to get up on it, Sunset. Just like always." Grumbling, Sunset did so and stood there as Ami went through the motions. She might not understand why Ami kept having her do it, but she did it anyways. Finally, Ami grabbed clipboard and began to write down on it. "Let's see... according to this, you're about 62 and a half pounds..."

Her expression hopeful, Sunset looked up. "{ _Can eat now?}_ "

Giggling slightly, Ami shook her head a bit. "I just got to measure you now, Sunset." Tape measure in her hands, Ami made quick work of measuring Sunset's height and length and muttered to herself. "Let's see... lengthwise, you're about four foot four... So you gained three inches in length since last week..." Shaking her head, Ami sighed. "You're getting really big now."

Once more, Sunset just looked up. "{ _Eat now?}_ "

Unable to stop herself, Ami laughed a bit and nodded. "Yes, we'll go and eat now. I got you some nice rabbit today for you."

Mouth slightly open, Sunset nodded her head. "{ _Eating Hopping-Thing!? LOVE HOPPING-THING! Is very Yum!}_ "

Shaking her head, Ami only smiled as she reached the fridge and pulled out the meat in question to warm it up some. "I know, Sunset. Now just let me cut this up for you so I can heat it up..."

* * *

Grace was passing the living room when she noticed that Blue was laying on the couch as a human. What really caught her attention was how miserable the transformed raptor looked. "Blue? Is something wrong?"

Not even a moment later, Blue sniffled some as she clutched a pillow to her chest. "Miss Daddy. Has been many days since he left." She then looked up at Grace with eyes that tugged at her heartstrings. "When daddy coming back to pack?"

Quickly walking over, Grace noticed that the other raptors also looked miserable, though it was harder to tell since they weren't human. Sitting down, Grace pulled Blue into a hug. "It's only been a week, honey. Besides, whatever he's involved with is just about finished so he should be home real soon."

Once more, Blue only sniffled. "Want daddy and his mate, Claire, home now. Pack should be together."

With a slight frown, Grace hummed as she held Blue close and looked around. "This has been the longest that Owen's been away from you bunch, huh? Probably since you were all born."

Chirping, Echo bobbed her head. "{ _Yes, is longest time. Even after White-One, daddy come back in two suns.}_ "

All Grace did was raise an eyebrow at her before she frowned. "Okay... I don't know what you said, but I'm pretty sure that it was agreeing with me." Gently, she ran her fingers through Blue's hair and smiled. "Anyways, Owen and Claire shouldn't be away for too much longer. And they already told me that they're bringing you bunch some presents. Don't know what, but with Claire helping the should be good."

In reply, Blue simply nodded and pressed herself closer to her aunt...

* * *

Tapping her finger against the tabletop, Agent Francine nodded some. "After hearing your opinions on the matter and much discussion, it has been decided to allow both the neanderthals and I-sapiens to continue. We will also be allow for the currently frozen embryos be eventually brought to full term. It's undecided as of this time if we'll produce more embryos through the method we recovered, but that is years away but that depends on who the possible donors are for the human DNA. Once we know, we'll inform those who were used, or their closest relatives if they are no longer alive."

A relieved look was on Masrani's face as he nodded. "At least our sins are not going to be compounded." Several seconds passed before he lifted his head. "Did your superiors accept mine and Tim's offer?"

Slowly, the agent nodded. "They considered your offer of financial assistance in this matter. And, to that end, have accepted it fully."

Grunting, Alan just gulped down some coffee, for once truly appearing like his age. "So then, what happens next?"

Hands folded across each other, Agent Francine regarded the group before her for almost a minute in silence. Finally, she nodded. "Under normal circumstances, we would not tell you anything more. But due to your assistance in this matter, it has been approved. In regards to the children, once we're ready and prepared, they're to be moved to the Earhart Islands northwest of the Marshals."

Ian blinked for a moment and frowned. "The, uh, ones found during one of the expeditions to find Amelia Earhart?" At the looks, he shrugged. "After Nublar and before Sorna, when InGen tried to, ah, silence me, let's just say I was grouped with, uh, a _certain_ portion of society and heard things."

Much to everyone's surprise, Agent Francine actually _chuckled_ at that. "Yes, I suppose that I can see how that might happen. But you are correct about where the name came from. Though it was less them being discovered and more that they were rediscovered seeing as their original names are the Los Jardines. That said, the islands are highly isolated while still being a United States territory. The closest inhabited spot will be Wake Island and we'll be running drones from the old base there. Officially, they'll be there to keep an eye out for poachers, in reality we'll be keeping an eye out for anyone possible stumbling across them."

Raising an eyebrow, Claire frowned a bit. "Wouldn't it be easier for everyone to keep them where they are though?"

With a soft sigh, Agent Francine shook her head. "If it were possible, then that is what we would do. Believe me, we understand that for the children, this is going to be a big change. However, besides the issue of running what is quite literally a secret project under a allied country's nose, we also have the issue of there being elements in the Greek government who could cause... Issues, if they were to find out. To say nothing of current issues nearby in the Middle East."

Sarah then chose to speak up with a slight smile as she nursed her own coffee. "There is a bonus to this though."

Turning, Tim raised an eyebrow at her. "And what would that be?"

As she chuckled, Sarah's smile grew some. "Unlike where they are now, the kids can go out into the open even during the day. I'm assuming that the islands are big enough, right?"

Understanding where she is going, Francine nodded. "They are, the largest is roughly equal in size to Isla Nublar after all. We'll make sure that they get the best care possible. And once everything is in place, we'll reveal them to the world." Standing up, she reached across the table and shook each of their hands. "The United States Government thanks you for your input and we will be in touch with you at later dates regarding this. Now, I don't think that I need to remind you all of how secret this is?"

When he noticed that she was looking at him, Ian smiled. "Hey, in this case there's no need to worry. I, um, understand what's at stake here."

There was a glint in Agent Francine's eyes as she nodded. As they were walking out though, Tim turned toward Claire and snapped his fingers. "That reminds me... The park will be reopening in December, correct?"

Confused, Claire shared a look with Owen who simply shrugged before he went back at observing various Federal agents. With a slow nod, Claire cleared her throat. "That is the plan and we're well on schedule to meet the deadline."

His hands in his pockets, Tim nodded. "Good, good. Though there will be an inspection of the park in November to make sure that everything is safe. A precaution, you understand."

Even though part of her felt a flash of anger, Claire shoved it down easily. She could understand what was going on more then most. "That shouldn't be an issue. Though can I ask what this inspection team will be?"

Still walking, Tim smiled a bit. "The first day will have some government inspectors, but they're supposed to leave on the first boat out the next morning. However, the other inspectors will stay for at least a week. They'll point out any issues and the public will likely feel much safer with their endorsements."

Now really confused, Claire felt herself frowning even more. "I see... And who..." She trailed off as she saw Alan smirking at her. "You cannot be serious."

Amused, Alan coughed into his fist and nodded. "As serious as a pissed off Rexy." With a slight smile, he gestured at Ian and Sarah. "They'll be coming along as well as a few others such as Tim."

It went without saying that Claire and Owen were rather torn on being told that.


End file.
